


Through the lens ( aka Photoshoot new version)

by Aprilinparis92 (palombaggia)



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Photographer, Angst and Feels, Choupette is a Burmese cat, Grammy rules the world and kicks ass, Harvey is a lawyer at Pearson Specter Litt, Harvey is bi, Harvey is shy when it comes to admitting feelings otherwise he is pretty much like in canon, Karl Lagerfeld and Choupette, Lots of stuff about The Paris Fashion week, Louis is a doll, M/M, Mike is a worldwide star, Mike is totally gay, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-29
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2018-05-16 00:53:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 32,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5806978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/palombaggia/pseuds/Aprilinparis92
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mike Ross is a famous fashion photographer.<br/>Harvey Specter is an introvert lawyer.<br/>Thanks to Jessica and Donna they meet at Mike's studio.<br/>The rest is history.</p><p>This story is now complete.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Ross Studio

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Suitsaddict](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Suitsaddict).



> inspired by a post on tumblr by the wonderful Suitsaddict of a photoshoot of Gabriel Macht for Life Style Magazine
> 
> Thanks to the awesome Sauffie for taking the time to beta the whole story and also for helping me find new pics from time to time.
> 
> Girl, you rock.
> 
> I'm sorry it took so long to update this story but this fic is much much longer than I thought and my life has been pretty difficult since spring.
> 
> So, there you go.

 

“Jessica, _please_ , you have to cancel this stuff”, Harvey whines as he keeps circumnavigating Jessica's desk. “You know I can't-“

“The answer, as you may have guessed already is _no_ , Harvey”, Jessica replies boldly.

“Please?”, Harvey murmurs in puppy dog's eye mode.

“Don't beg, Harvey. It doesn't suit you. And for God's sake stop freaking out about this. It's just a photoshoot.”

Harvey sprawls on Jessica's couch, wringing his hands in despair

“I don’t have time today… I have the merger and-“

“Bullshit. I cleared your schedule with Gretchen. You have lunch with Louis to go over the client billables of the past semester, and then nothing until 5 pm when we’re set to have drinks with our new client, the young nerd. You're booked for 2 pm with Mike Ross himself at his studio. Donna will meet you there.”

“I don't even like that woman!”, Harvey yells frantically. “She's been chasing me for three months, calling my office and even my mobile!”

“I know”, Jessica replies calmly, obviously unaffected by Harvey’s outburst. “But she is one of my best friends.”

“I don't like your female friends, Jessica”, Harvey groans. “They’re all bossy, unsufferable and-“

“Gorgeous, witty and very successful in their jobs”, Jessica finishes his sentence. “You'll like Donna, trust me. She is fun and very professional.”

Harvey mumbles something unintelligible to himself before jumping from the couch, his nervousness still palpable.

“Wait”, he says, his voice cracking. “Did you say Mike Ross? As in the famous fashion photographer?”, he asks, wide-eyed. “Jessica, you must be out of your mind. Mike Ross is such a drama queen!”

Jessica represses the urge to burst out laughing. Nervous Harvey is a very rare occurrence at the firm. She doesn't remember him that agitated, except maybe the day she offered him a job, fifteen years ago.

Mike Ross is indeed quite something. He is the new rising star in fashion photography and all the major fashion designers are begging to work with him.

He has a unique way to shoot models, it always seems as if he uses the camera to make love to them. His love life is also quite public, his recent break up with a top notch fashion designer made all the headlines in gossip magazines.

“Relax, Harvey”, Jessica says, uncharacteristically patient. “Mike Ross is a very nice young man once you get to know him. And he won't jump your bones, I promise. Altough you're most certainly quite a catch, but he is only interested in men and you're not... so that won't happen. Just do what he asks and look pretty.”

 

* * *

 

 Harvey reluctantly enters the lobby of Ross Studio at 2 pm, after a long boring lunch spent reviewing billables with Louis, knowing his was going hate every minute of his appointement with Mike Ross.

Harvey feels very uncomfortable with professional photographers. The corporate photographer used by Pearson Specter Litt for the company brochure and website had long ago given up on him.

  
But this is another ballgame altogether.

  
LifeStyle Magazine has been chasing Harvey for three months now and Donna Paulsen, with the help of Jessica, has proven not only more stubborn, but also successful. She never took no for an answer, despite Harvey being borderline rude to her over the phone.  
Donna Paulsen is a tough woman, but then again you don’t end up Managing Editor of LifeStyle Magazine if you aren't a bit pushy on matters like these.

 

* * *

 

 Harvey walks to the receptionist with butterflies in his stomach.

“Harvey Specter”, he croaks, hating the sound of his voice. “I have an appointement with-“

“Rachel Zane, Mike Ross's personnal assistant, will be right with you”, the young receptionist cuts him rather sharply. “She is sorting out details about your photoshoot with Miss Paulsen as we speak. Please have a seat.”

Harvey sits down in the lobby, taking in the art photos all over the walls. Gorgeous models everywhere, in black and white mostly. Harvey squirms on the luxurious white leather couch, feeling slightly off balance with all this male flesh. Most of the models are indeed males, altough Harvey spots some famous international female models too.

The photos are eerily beautiful and Harvey wonders what the hell he is doing at Ross Studio.

  
He isn't a model, far from it, even though he takes pretty good care of his body with a strict healthy diet and all those sessions at the gym club.

  
And if he wasn’t completely freaked out already, having to wait here, having time to think about what he’s about to do certainly helps finish the job. 

 

* * *

 

 “He is _gorgeous_ , isn't he?”, Donna gushes, looking at Harvey's file.

Rachel has of course prepared everything, carefully arranging all of Harvey's press clips for Mike to see.

“He is”, Rachel sighs. “Such a shame he is straight as an arrow because…”

“… he is exactly Mike's type, I know.”, Donna shakes her head. “How sad. Nevermind, sweetheart, how is our Mike these days? You know, since...”, she asks, an apologetic purse on her lips.

“Since the thing we are not allowed to discuss happened, you mean?”, Rachel smiles. “Well, he is crushed of course... But you know Mike, he's nothing if not resilient.”

They both turn to look at Edith Ross's portrait in Mike's office, the only touch of color in the perfectly sterile white environment.

It’s a well-known fact that Mike Ross is extremely obsessed with purity, that’s what he’s famous for, what he’s looking for in every photo he takes, everything he does. Everything in the decor is white, from the thick plush carpet to the expensive furniture, he himself being dressed almost exclusively in white. He wouldn’t know how to deal with bright colors.

Edith Ross, Mike's grandmother, was the only one allowed to dress in whatever pleased her.

She was also Mike's agent, a very fierce agent to say the least.

  
She had raised her grandson after the tragic death of Mike's parents in a car crash when he was eleven. Mike Ross still can’t drive and refuses to pass a driving test. Consequently, his driver Ray, who takes him everywhere, from hotels to red carpets to movie sets, is almost as famous as Mike himself.

 

* * *

 

 “Hello Donna, darling”, Mike singsongs as he enters his office “Sorry I'm late, I was just finishing something for the Chanel Cruise collection. These guys are driving me nuts. So, I see we have your wonder boy at last. It took long enough, I must say.”

“I know, Mike. I'm sorry”, Donna laughes. “I'm so excited about this. It's the first time the magazine does something like that-“

“Tsssk, tsssk”, Mike murmurs, pulling Donna into a tight embrace. “Always a pleasure working with you, darling. It's not your fault Harvey Specter is as skittish as a wild pony when it comes to organizing a photoshoot. I was just on the phone with Louis, my lawyer who works at Harvey’s firm. He told me he practically had to drag Harvey to the studio himself, just to make sure he wouldn't chicken out at the last minute.”

Louis Litt is Mike's lawyer for Ross Incs. The two men are close friends, Louis watching over Mike's finance like a hawk. Both men share the same love for luxurious spas and Mike accompagnies Louis mudding more often than not. Louis is not a great fan of Harvey Specter’s, but Mike suspects it’s because Harvey seems to be Jessica's favourite.

“Why don't you go and get him with Rachel, Donna. It's just a short rendez-vous today to discuss wardrobe and straignten out details. It'll be over in twenty minutes. I plan on shooting him the day after tomorrow, if that's ok with you… and him.”

 

* * *

 

 Harvey is all but starting to hyperventilate when a stunning readhead and an exquisite brunette suddenly rush towards him in the lobby.

“Mr. Specter”, the redhead beams. “Here you are, at last. I’m Donna Paulsen, very happy to meet you in person. I'm so happy you coud make it today. Come with us. I'd like you to meet Mike Ross.”

 

 

Inpired by this post on tumblr<http://suitsaddict.tumblr.com/search/photoshoot>

 

 

 

 


	2. Breaking the ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys meet.  
> Things do not go as planned.

 

Harvey feels very uneasy as he steps into Mike Ross' huge office. There is nothing in there giving even the slightest hint on the man's persona. Harvey likes to grasp what makes his opponents tick as soon as he enters their private space, gives him some kind of upper hand. But nothing in there gives any indication on Mike Ross, except that the man seems to be a total neat freak.

And Harvey hates the man immediately. Plus, who the hell still goes for the total white look these days?

“Mr. Specter”, Mike Ross says, greeting Harvey with his hand outstretched. “At last. What a pleasure to meet you.”

“I won't go as far as to say the pleasure is mutual”, Harvey retorts half-serious half-joking, relying on the fact maybe - just maybe - his aloofness will scare Mike Ross away. “You are no doubt aware I was forced to come.”

_And what a pretentious tightass you are Mr Specter_ “Mr Specter, **_Harvey_** ”, Mike continues, unbothered. “Do you mind if I call you Harvey?”

Harvey grunts out a muffled sound, rubbing the palms of his hands on his trousers while Mike inhales the other man's scent, something musky and expensive with a slight hint of perspiration.

_Maybe you're not such a tightass after all, Harvey, but you are obviously terrified for sure._ “Harvey”, Mike announces, his voice softer. “We are just going to discuss wardrobe today, nothing too scary, I promise”, he chuckles.

Mike gets scrutinized by a pair of liquid brown eyes for a whole half minute before Harvey exhales, visibly relaxing.

“So, no shooting today, then?”, he asks, relieved.

“No shooting today”, Mike confirms, smiling. “I have planned the actual photoshoot for the day after tomorrow, I’ll get Rachel to confirm with your assistant.”

Harvey tenses again, the movement in his shoulders almost imperceptible.

Not to Mike and Donna though. Donna, wonderful clever Donna, decides it's time to make an exit.

“Rachel, sweetheart”, she offers, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. “Let's go to finish up the details for the shooting.”

“Yes”, Mike continues, enthusiastic. “I've read your brief, Donna, and everything sounds fine to me. Rachel, could you please dig out shooting 876 from my archives? I want to use the same lenses and lightening equipment for Harvey.”

Harvey watches the two women leave with a stunned expression on his face. Mike Ross is definitely a freak. Who remembers by heart thousands of shootings?

“I have an eidetic memory”, Mike explains as if he read Harvey’s mind. “I remember everything once I read it. Comes in handy in this business of mine.”

« You remember all your photoshoots, just like that? » Harvey scoffs « that's ...impressive »

Silence stretches between the two of them and Mike decides it's time to break the ice.

“So, _Harvey_ ”, Mike says, moving in closer. “Would you mind taking your jacket off?”

“Uh?”, Harvey answers with a slight trepidation. “My uh? What? Why?”

_I'm gonna have so much fun with you, Harvey._ “Because I'd like to see what you look like without your armor”, Mike pauses, mischievous and Harvey understands that Jessica probably talked to Donna who talked to him. Because “armor” is her word. “Not that I have any doubts about your features, I don't think you should be nervous about your looks if I may say so.”

 

 

Harvey divests himself from his jacket, feeling awkward and suddenly defensless.

Mike's eyes roam appreciatively on Harvey's torso, taking in the broad shoulders and slender waist. The man is undoubtedly stunning and Mike mouth's waters at the sight. He loves beautiful things and the man in front of him certainly qualifies as beautiful.

“The vest is a good look on you, Harvey. Do you often wear that kind of attire? I bet you kick ass in court when you dress like that.”

“I uh, yeah”, Harvey stutters. “I like vests.”

_You are so cute when you blush, Harvey._ “Okay…”, Mike murmurs to himself. “You have a taylor, I gather? Could you give me his cell number so that Rachel can get in touch with him to collect your measures?”

“His name is René Lepetit”, Harvey mutters, fumbling in his wallet to retrieve René's card. “Here-“

“René”, Mike beams. “Of course. We know René. Rachel will contact him today.”

Mike sways elegantly towards the coffee table, gesturing for Havey to follow him.

“Please have a seat”, he says, selecting a few magazines carefuly prepared by Rachel. “Let me show you what I have in mind.”

Harvey swallows, his fingers brushing Mike's by accident when he hands him one of the magazines.

Mike's chest constricts at that, Harvey's touch stirring something below his ribcage, something he thought was dead since Jon left him after their terrible break up a few months ago.

“Donna's brief is all about casual. It's relaxed, after work or weekend stuff, you see what I mean? Like this for instance, Armani Week End or this, Hugo Boss LeisureWear Collection or-“

“I don't... I rarely wear...”, Harvey sighs. “I wouldn't know.”

“Well, you definitely should”, Mike laughs. “I bet you'd look great. We'll see. But maybe you have something of your own that you would prefer to wear for the shooting? A piece you would feel comfortable with?”

Harvey frowns, picturing his dressing room in his mind. Suits mostly, and shirts and ties and more suits. Track pants and hoodies for the gym...but nothing really suitable for this kind of activity.

“I wear suits, mostly”, Harvey replies. “If not suits, then gym clothes, and other than that…”

_Other than that, I bet you must unwind in your bathrobe and lounge around half naked._ “Other than that?”, Mike encourages, keeping his thoughts to himself while staring at some fashion male models in the magazines, half of them nearly not as gorgeous as the man sitting next to him.

“I tend to shower and then...”, Harvey pauses, searching for his words. “I just hum… grab a t-shirt and hum, you know…”

_Bingo_! “Harvey”, Mike says again. “There is absolutely no shame in strolling around half naked at home after a hard day's work, I often do so. However, as much as I would love to shoot you in the nude, I don't think that's quite what Donna had in mind for her Spring Issue.”

Harvey looks so utterly terrified at the prospect that Mike feels the urge to backpedal.

“I was joking, Harvey”, he laughs, lifting his hand to fist bump with the older man. “Relax, dude, okay?”

“Don't ever call me dude”, Harvey snaps, ignoring Mike's attempt at fist bumping.

_Ah. Mr. tightass is back. I'm not quite sure how I want to play with you, Harvey. But I sure want to._

“May I leave now?”, Harvey hisses, standing up. “I have work to do.”

“You may not”, Mike smiles, enjoying himself enormously. “I haven't quite finished with you yet, and I happen to know for a fact your schedule is clear until 5 o'clock.”

“I-”, Harvey strangles himself. “That's not true-”

“Oh yes it is”, Mikes teases. “Just stay up. I want you to walk for me. Just... walk. To the window for instance, and then back.”

“And why would I do that?”, Harvey frowns, head tilted back, his composure suddenly back.

“Because I say so”, Mike answers. “And in here, in _my_ studio, people do as I say, Harvey. That's the way it works.”

Harvey glares at Mike, his jaws clenching, not moving an inch and Mike thinks it's sexy as hell.

 

 

 

_I bet this is what you look like in court when someone throws a piece of dirt at you, Harvey. You're so fucking hot like this, you have no idea._ “Harvey”, Mike says appeasingly. “I think you are wound too tight. I just need to see how you move, you understand? How you take possession of the space, as we say in our jargon.”

“Possession?”, Harvey snorts. “Of the space?”

“Yup”, Mike continues, retrieving one of his cameras from the shelf. “Just a few steps, Harvey. Nothing to worry about. The camera won't bite.”

For a moment, Harvey considers bolting right through the door. He knows it's useless though, because this Donna woman and - oh God Jessica also - would be after him in a flash and he would never hear the end of it.

He reluctantly starts gallivanting around the coffee table, taking a beeline towards the window. His movements are clumsy to say the least and Mike thinks it's perfectly adorable.

“Could you, hmm, look in my direction and smile or something?", Mike asks.

“I don't smile”, Harvey says, through gritted teeth.

“Okay. Fine. Don't smile. Use whatever facial expression you feel comfortable with. Just, you know... be yourself. Don't overthink things, Harvey, okay?”

Despite his attempts at making him comfortable, it only makes things worse, Harvey being evidently ill at ease.

_Harvey, Harvey, Harvey… .this is a disaster in the making._ “Okay”, Mike says, dropping the camera on his desk. “Let's forget about the tests and try something different. Imagine you're in court, I'm a judge and I'm getting on your nerves. Just show me. How would you take possession of the courtroom, Harvey?”

The change in Harvey's persona is so brutal that Mike almsot trips off his feet. Harvey barges towards him like he owns the place, the epitome of fierce dominance.

“Your Honor”, Harvey barks, nostrils flaring. “I've never had anyone, let alone a judge I've never met, address me as _Harvey_ in open court. But if you're gonna screw me, I guess it's only fair that you call me by my name.”

_Woaw. Holly fuck. You're such a dom when you want to Harvey. I'd love to screw you, though._ Mike is half hard already, the ferocious glint in Harvey's eyes making him feel dizzy.

  
“I’d say the ball’s in your court”, Harvey spits, his hands so dangerously near Mike's torso that for a brief moment, Mike thinks the other man is going to shove him against the nearest wall available. “But the truth is, your balls are in my fist.”

It takes all of Mike's willpower not to drop on his knees immediately to worship Harvey's cock right in the middle of his office.

“Do you really talk to judges that way?”, Mike asks, clearly admirative.

“I do”, Harvey breathes, voice hoarse. “Not the part about the balls, though. That one was for an annoying client.”

Mike remembers he needs to regain control of the situation pretty fast if he doesn't want the whole thing to get out of hand.

“Harvey”, Mike says. “So you showed me your badass side. What about the rest of you? When you actually _care_ about something, someone?”

Harvey flinches instantly at the word _care_ , a glimmer of sadness in his eyes.

“Caring only makes you weak” he grunts, narrowing his eyes. “If preople think you care, they'll walk all over you.”

_Ok. That's bullshit, Harvey, and we both know it._ “Here's an idea”, Mike proposes, opening an immaculate piece of white lacquered furniture. “How about a drink, just to lower the pressure? Do you like whisky, Harvey? The Burburry guys just offered me this rare Mac Callan 18 years-”

“I'm a whisky fan” Harvey admits, licking his lips. “But I don't normally drink at three o'clock in the afternoon-”

“Sometimes, rules need to be bended”, Mike states, pouring a generous amount and handing the glass to the other man. “Humm, this stuff smells gorgeous by the way.”

Harvey takes his time to enjoy the single malt, sipping with nonchalance while enjoying the slow burn in his throat.

 

 

“Exquisite”, he murmurs. “Just perfect. This is good stuff, Mike.”

“Alleluia!”, Mike exclaims. “I thought you would never say it out loud.”

“Say what?”, Harvey asks, bemused, his fingers tracing the rimm of his glass.

“My name”, Mike laughs. “Just... my name. You realize I must've said _Harvey_ at least fifty times since we've met. But you never said _Mike_.”

“I need time” Harvey muses, smiling for the first time and Mike falls in love with those crinkles at the corner of his eyes.

 

 

_Do you know how beautiful you are when you smile, Harvey? Of course you don't._ Mike saunters to his desk, opening a locked drawer.

“Want some of this? It's good too”, he chuckles. “Grammy would disapprove”, he adds shooting a quick glance at the portrait.

“I certainly won't tell”, Harvey says, bursting out laughing. “And yeah, let's do this. I haven't smoked pot since... I can't even remember.”

“Here you go, old man” Mike singsongs busying himself with the preparation.

 

Harvey inhales deeply, eyes closed and Mike wonders if this is what he looks like when he gets his brains fucked out.

It's a gorgeous sight.

 

They get high pretty quickly. Mike because he is exhausted after a long tedious shooting for Chanel and Harvey because, well, he hasn't eaten much with Louis, he was such a basketcase at the time.

They are both relaxed now, daydreaming in their bubble picking some chips and pretzels from Mike's bar. From time to time they start chuckling like crazy teenagers.

“Those Pretzels are making me thirsty”, they both shout, after Mike has teared up the third pack of appetizers

 

 

 


	3. Grammy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enters Grammy.  
> Beware, she kicks ass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since Korsh didn't shoot the boys in my verse, you will have to suspend your disbelief from time to time because I can't always find the propper pics.  
> Nevermind.

 

 

 

“Rachel? Donna?”, Edith Ross shrieks from her office next to the filing room. “Is this pot I'm smelling coming from my grandson's office?”

“I'm afraid so”, Rachel answers, rolling her eyes. “It is a good sign, though. Mike is in the process of creating something good. I can smell it”, she jokes.

“Nonsense”, Edith Ross mutters to herself. “I'm going in right now to stop whatever it is that's happening over there.”

Edith Ross is deadly furious. What is Mike thinking, smoking pot in the middle of the day with Donna's client, no less? Technically, Donna is a close friend, but still. Edith has been Mike's agent since the beginning, even before he rose to superstardom. She iss fiercely protective of her grandson, especially when it comes to relationships. She knows Mike has a heart of gold, but that he also has a tendency to pick up the wrong boyfriends. Jon Gallagher, for instance, had been a disaster from day one, not only did he break Mike's heart but he had a very bad influence on him. Sex, drugs, alcohol and all the rest of it.

 

 

Edith bites her lip in disapproval. She hated Jon the minute she saw him. Mike, on the other hand, fell hopelessly in love and nothing was good enough for Jon. Sure, Jon Gallagher was superstar at the time, running the Dior business with enormous talent. Elected "Designer of the year" five times in a row, he was a key figure in the Fashion Industry. He also helped Mike at lot, selling his protégé to all the key players in the Fashion business. Unfortunately, he was also equipped with a very tormented psyche and lots of demons. Fortunately for Mike, those demons had landed him in a rehab clinic far far away for a very long time after he assaulted several journalists while under the influence. He was now perceived as damaged goods and no one in the Industry wanted to touch him with a ten feet pole.

Edith was extremely relieved when Jon, in a brief moment of lucidity, decided to pull the plug on his relationship with Mike. Mike had been disconsolate for weeks, refusing to work on any projects, despite all the proposals Edith received on a daily basis. There was just no way she was going to accept that her grandson would smoke pot during office hours.

Drugs were totally forbidden. She would see into that right now and put an end to this deviant behavior. And who the hell was this Harvey Specter guy in the first place?

 

* * *

 

Mike is so busy laughing his head off with Harvey that he doesn't realize what's happening at first.

Harvey does. His drugged induced brain produces enough neuronal connections to grasp the situation on the spot.

The woman staring at him is the same one as in the portrait. She has Mike's clear blue gaze and she seems positively _furious._

"Michael" she hisses, her voice ice cold. "What exactly do you think you're doing, smoking pot in the middle of the afternoon?"

 

 

"It's my fault", Harvey blurts out, immediately coming between Mike and his grandmother. "I… uh… I was tense and Mike had to break the ice because uh… I couldn't take possession of the space properly."

Mike thinks protective Harvey is the cutest thing on earth. He doesn't remember witnessing anything more chivalrous, except maybe the day Jon verbally destroyed a fashion columnist who had criticized his photos. _And even so._

"Harvey Specter", Harvey says, extending his hand with a smile that could melt the Arctic. "I'm awfully sorry, I forgot my manners. Please accept my apologies. I guess I wasn't making any sense-"

"Edith Ross", she cuts him, defensive, glaring at Mike who is still hiding behind Harvey's back. "How nice of you to take the blame for my grandson's nefarious shenanigans. I won't be fooled, though. Michael doesn't need any excuses to smoke pot, alas."

"I promise you I'm guilty as charged here. I asked Mike if he could offer me a drink or something."

" _Or something_?", she parrots, clearly mocking him. "And weed magically fell in your hands, just like that?"

"Almost", Harvey answers, holding his grounds.

 

 

He is still staring the woman down and Mike's heart flutters at that. The man definitely has balls and Mike loves ballsy guys.

"Are you done here, Mr Specter?", Edith asks, breaking the silence. "I'd like to have a word with my grandson if you don't mind."

"Absolutely. We did what we had to do for today", Harvey smiles. "It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mrs Ross.

* * *

 

 

Harvey meets Donna and Rachel on his way back to the lobby. They look extremely pleased with themselves and Harvey wonders whether the whole thing was a set up. Did they leave on purpose for him to be alone with Mike? In any case, he doesn't remember the last time he had so much fun.

"Don't worry too much about Grammy", Donna whispers, patting Harvey on the shoulder. "You'll be fine"

 

"Grammy?" Harvey huffs. "She doesn't look like the sweet old lady type to me. It that how you call her?"

"That's what everyone calls her", Rachel winks. "But shh. It's a secret. She thinks her nickname is The Dragon"

"Sounds about right", Harvey mutters. "She certainly looks like one."

"She is very tough when it comes to protecting Mike's interests", Donna admits. "But apart from that she is a real cutie pie."

"See you on Thursday, Harvey", Rachel smiles and offers her hand to shake. "I will get everything ready for you with the stylists. René just sent me your measurments."

 

* * *

 

 

"Grammy, I'm sorry, okay?", Mike feels like a schoolboy in the headmaster's office. "It won't happen again. It was an accident."

"An accident?", Edith retorts. "It didn't sound like an accident to me. Do you always provide pot when your clients are nervous, Michael?"

Mike sighs, realizing she hasn't believed Harvey's version of the events.

"Uh... No. I mean, generally my clients are models and they are perfectly at ease with the camera. But Harvey... he is different."

"He is a lawyer, Michael", Edith asserts, narrowing her eyes. "Of course he is different."

Mike looks dejected, slumped on the windowsill and Edith senses something is wrong.

"Wait, Michael, you're not thinking what _I think_ you're thinking, are you?", she asks, dumbfounded

"Drop it, Grammy", Mike grunts, passing his hand on his face."I've got a freaking headache-"

"You _like_ him, don't you?", Edith murmurs. "Of course you like him, he's totally unreachable, therefore highly desirable…"

"I said give me a break", Mike yells, biting his lips. "Of course I don't like him. He's just Donna's client-"

Edith knows better.

"I'm sorry, Mike", she says, her voice softer. "I know things have been hard for you lately, since-"

"You can't even say his name", Mike whispers. "Even after all this time you still can't."

"He was _so wrong_ for you, sweetheart. He made your life a living miserable hell."

"I know", Mike sighs. "I know. I just wish it wasn't so hard to move on. There is a part of me that will always miss Jon."

Edith’s heart breaks into gazillion pieces. She hates to see Mike in pain.

"Why don't you try to have a bit of fun", she suggests. "Karl just sent me his Chanel portfolio for the Paris Fashion Week. All gorgeous boys. Why don't you blow off some steam, you're still so young, Mike. There is no urgent need to settle down.”

Mike laughes.

"Grammy, I'm not looking for a quick fuck with some male models. I've done plenty of that already. Besides, they have no brain and I'm looking for someone… someone with a brain actually."

_I'm looking for a guy exactly like Harvey Specter. That's the problem._

_A gorgeous guy with self esteem issues._

_A clever guy with a sense of humor._

_A protective, yet vulnerable, dom._

_Fuck._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jon is of course inspired by John Galliano.  
> And of course he will come back from rehab.  
> Just saying.


	4. Shooting the hoops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really liked those scenes in canon.  
> I had to use them in my verse.

 

Harvey rushes to the men's room as soon as he arrives at Pearson Specter Litt. He quickly splashes water on his face, trying to hide the light flush on his cheekbones. _Weed_ , he mumbles to himself, _not such a great idea just before going back to work_. He remembers now from his college years that he always had delayed reactions to pot. It’s a good thing because this Donna woman and the gorgeous brunette - what was her name again, Rebecca? No Rachel - didn't witness the “high” version of himself. Unfortunately, it’s also a bad thing because Gretchen just informed him that Jessica asked for a meeting with him in her office. _Fuck._

 

* * *

 

 Jessica is waiting for Harvey, perfectly put together as usual, her impeccable style contrasting with Harvey's slightly disheveled looks.

 

 

“So”, she says, pouring herself a drink. “What's going on with Mike Ross? And before you ask, I'm not going to offer you a drink or anything, because I suspect you already had one.”

 

 

“How do you know I'm thinking about Mike Ross?”, Harvey smirks, deliberatly avoiding the drink subject.

 

 

 

“Who else would it be?”, she laughs soflty. “Donna called me. It seems like the two of you really hit it off.”

 

 

" He's...interesting" Harvey answers, evasive

 

 

 

“Harvey”, Jessica scoffs, back at her desk. “I may look great for my age but I wasn't born yesterday. You smell like a frat boy and I can detect scotch on your breath. So cut the crap, will you?”

  
“Jessica, I can assure you-“

  
“Harvey”, she hisses. “What were you thinking, smoking pot with Mike Ross in the middle of the afternoon? Do you have any idea how bad this could reflect on the firm?  May I remind you Edith and Mike Ross are Louis's clients? Jesus Christ, Harvey. You look completely stoned.”

  
“That's because I am”, Harvey giggles uncontrollably. “In fact I don't remember having had that much fun since I peed in Louis's office with Gabe three years ago. On the bonsai.”

“Well, Harvey”, Jessica says in a sigh. “It's a good thing the kid left to work for Sidwell, because he was getting totally out of control. Especially since you kept covering up for his shenanigans.”

  
_Here we go again._ Gabe was a bone of contention between Harvey and Jessica. Between Harvey and the whole firm to put it bluntly. And honestly, it was all Jessica's fault to begin with. After all, she was the one who insisted Harvey should hire an associate to do some mentoring. She thought Harvey was such a cold-hearted maverick at the time that she had felt the need to ground him with something.

  
_Or someone._

  
She hadn't expected Harvey to bring back this kid, Gabe Mitchell, like a cat dropping its prey at its mistress's feet. The kid was an absolute genius, even though, and this was the real issue, he hadn't gone to Harvard law school at all. Gabe Mitchell came from an obscure regional University, thus Harvey never should have considered him for the position to begin with. But of course, Harvey being Harvey, he threw all Cie guidelines down the drain the minute he fell in love with the kid's mind. The urban legend said that Gabe Mitchell was hired after a ten-minute interview at the Chillton Hotel where he managed to smartmouth the great Harvey Specter on stock option backdating.

Gabe Mitchell constantly thought out of the box and persistently challenged the established order. And Harvey adored him.

  
“Let's not talk about Gabriel”, Harvey snaps. “I've closed that door and you know it.”

  
“Fair enough”, Jessica says. “But I still think you took the best decision of your life the day you fired him.”

_I didn't fire him, Jessica. And I still miss him like I would a broken limb._ _I've been looking for another him ever since._ _Not just another me, but someone who will break down my inner walls and patch me up back afterwards._ _Someone who will help me find who I am._ _Someone I can trust, at last._

 

* * *

 

 

 

Harvey is totally engrossed in reading a long list of questions for his witness prep of the afternoon. It's barely 1 PM, and Gretchen has alredy left for lunch. Harvey likes this time of the day, before everything gets agitated again after lunch. It's the best moment to get work done. He doesn't hear Mike's footsteps, nor does he see Mike smiling fondly at him from his doorstep.

  
Mike takes a moment to admire the view, gazing at Harvey's personal belongings. _Basketballs, most certainly signed, and vinyls._ _Interesting._

  
“Harvey”, Mike says softly, because he doesn't want to startle the other man.

  
Harvey jumps, visibly taken aback to see Mike, right here in his office, and a stream of thoughts passes through Harvey's mind at full speed.

 

 

Things like  _Its nice to see you again, do you want a cup of coffee, please have a seat ._

But instead, what comes out is :

  
“What are you doing here?”

  
Well, hello to you too, Havey”, Mike returns, curtly. “I have a meeting with Louis, as a matter of fact.”

  
“You're wearing a suit”, Harvey observes, his brain refusing to cooperate in the making of more appropriate sentences.

 

 

“Your sense of observation will never cease to amaze me, Harvey”, Mike smirks. “Grammy says I should always wear a suit when I visit my lawyer.”

  
Mike walks right to the windowsill and to Havey's intense displeasure starts to pat one of the basketballs.

  
“Waow!”, he whistles, admirative. “Michael Jordan, uh?”

  
Harvey stands up, instantly nervous.

 

“I don't like - please put it back. Nobody is allowed to touch my….”

  
“Nobody is allowed to touch your balls, Harvey?”, Mike teases, carefully putting the ball down. “I get it.”

 

 

“Mike”, Harvey growls, frowning. “Please.”

  
“A tad fussy today, are we?”, Mike continues his teasing. “It's okay. I didn't break anything.”

  
Harvey exhales, still tense and retreats to the sofa to continue reading his file.

 

 

“I have work to do.”

  
“I know”, Mike smiles, standing right in front of Havey, his fist outstretched. “Listen, no harm no foul, right?”

 

  
  "What are you, twelve?" Harvey grunts " what's with the attitude and the fist bumping?"

  
  "I'm 28" Mike chants, "come on,  you know you want to"

 

 

Harvey quickly casts a glance through the glass walls, just to be sure nobody’s watching before reluctanctly bumping his fist against Mike’s.

  
“There you are”, Mike gushes, triumphant. “That wasn't so hard, was it?”

  
“Mike”, Harvey says, rolling his eyes. “Now if you don’t mind, I really have work to do.”

  
“Harvey, Harvey…”, Mike singsongs. “ Work? I’d say you look bored. Why don't we shoot some hoops?”

  
“Mike”, Harvey sighs exaggeratingly and gestures around the room. “This, as you may have noticed, is my office in my law firm and I don't-“

  
“Harvey”, Mike leans in, whispering in Harvey's ear. “Sometimes it's good to be a little bad, don't you think?”

  
Harvey doesn't know how or what to reply to that.

  
_Aha. Gotcha there didn't I?_ “We have everything we need”, Mike laughs, pointing at the wastebasket. “I'll go first”, he announces, seizing sheets of paper which he creases between his fingers. “There you go”, he says, throwing a paper ball at Harvey who swiftly catches it mid-air. “You're a natural. If you loose you'll have to buy me lunch.”

 

 

“I’m afraid that's not gonna happen”, Harvey smirks, jumping in and running after Mike. “I'm good at this shit.”

  
They start fooling around like a bunch of kids in a playground, throwing paperballs all over Harvey's neat office.

Gretchen comes back from lunch minutes later, totally unnoticed, and rolls her eyes while switching off the intercom. She doesn't remember seeing Harvey this happy since... well, since Gabriel Mitchell left six months ago.

  
Harvey whirls in between his own furniture, his perfectly muscled body showing under the stretched fabric of his expensive, taylor-made suit.

 

 

 

René would probably have a fit if he knew. Harvey displays his perfecty shaped butt inches away from Mike's hands while scoring for the third time.

  
Mike's fingers twitch to touch Harvey right there.

  
_I'd love to put my hands on your ass, Harvey. I bet you'd look gorgeous in my bed._

 

* * *

 

 

Jessica decides she has to go see for herself what Gretchen just told her over the phone, so she tiptoes to Harvey's office and watches them from afar. Harvey looks ten years younger, head tilted back and screaming with laughter. If she had known the kid could have that effect on him she would've sent Harvey to the studio 6 months ago. Harvey has been so gloomy since the departure of his favorite associate. But ss much as she enjoys seeing Harvey fooling around like a dumb teenager, she also knows Louis is waiting for Mike Ross in the conference room. Besides, she needs Harvey on something before he disappears into another meeting.

 

 

“Good afternoon, Mr. Ross”, she says, swaying elegantly in Harvey's office and catching the last paperball with her usual grace. “I think Louis is waiting for you in conference room number two.”

  
“But I was winning!”, Harvey whines, dropping his paperball on his desk. “Jessica…”

  
“I was letting him win”, Mike corrects, winking at Jessica. “Good afternoon Mrs Pearson. I hope you don't mind me pulling Harvey to the dark side, I know he has work to do.”

  
“Not at all”, Jessica answers, smiling. “But unfortunately I need Harvey to discuss a case before he goes to witness prep. So, if you don't mind, I'll take him away from you for the time being.”

  
_I do mind, a lot actually._

“Harvey?”, Jessica says, gesturing towards her own office across the corridor. “We have ten minutes before your key witness arrives, I suggest we move forward.”

  
“Goodbye, Harvey”, Mike whispers, his hand lingering a bit longer than necessary on Harvey's forearm. “See you tomorow at the studio. 9 am, okay?”

 

* * *

 

“I was having a bit of fun for once”, Harvey mumbles, following Jessica down the corridor. “Can't this wait?”

 

 

 

“No”, Jessica answers. “But it looks like you've made a new friend. You two should hang out after the shooting. It would do you good.”

  
“He's a fashion photographer”, Harvey mutters, shaking his head. “I’m sure he has tons of trendy exciting friends. It's just a job for him, I mean, this thing for LifeStyle Magazine.”

  
"I wouldn’t be so sure about that…”, Jessica smirks. “According to Louis, Mike Ross is usually quite distant with his clients. Rachel is the sweet one. I think the kid likes you, Harvey."

  
“Okay, so let me get this straight, Jessica.”, Harvey chuckles, knitting his brows in disbelief. “You gave me the talk yesterday about the weed episode and now you want me to be best buddy with the guy?”

  
“I like how you are around that kid, Harvey. He brings out a side of you that I haven't seen in a while.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	5. Gabriel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really like Louis in the show.  
> I had to use him in this fic.

 

 

 

  


 

Louis is carefully proofreading Mike’s documents for the third time when Mike enters the conference room. His client looks disheveled and slightly out of breath which, for someone as obsessed with his appearance, is very unusual.

Louis rubbs his face with the palm of his hands. As much as he loves the Ross family, Mike can be a real nightmare sometimes. This is his fourth reorganization of Ross Incs in the latest month and Louis thinks he can’t stomach another one. Besides, Mike is late and Louis thinks the lack of punctuality is a sign of disrespect. The kid sometimes needs to be reminded who is in charge here. Louis sees himself as a paternal figure for Mike. He isn’t just Mike’s lawyer but also a friend of the family. More often than not, Edith used Louis to give Mike _the talk_ especially on the touchy subject of boyfriends. The kid has a past on these maters. Thank God Jon Gallagher is now, and hopefully forever, out of the picture.

“Hello Mike”, Louis says, his hand shifting through various files. “You’re-“

“Late, I know”, Mike answers, grinning. “I’m sorry, Louis. I was playing with Harvey.”

_Playing? With Harvey Specter?_

“Mike”, Louis hisses, narrowing his eyes. “Harvey Specter doesn’t do playing. Did he approach you to become your lawyer? We have this very strict clause amongst Name Partners that specifies-“

“No, no”, Mike chuckles. That’s not it at all, he didn’t approach me. I approached him. And of course I don’t want him to become my lawyer. I adore you, Louis, and so does Grammy.”

“So”, Louis says, more relaxed now because obviously Harvey isn’t trying to steal one of his clients behind his back. “Playing, uh?”

“Yeah”, Mike murmurs, a dreamy expression on his face. “We shot the hoops. _Sort of_. I let him win. He likes to win, doesn’t he?”

“Harvey Specter lives to win”, Louis snorts. “And boy is he is a sore loser…”, he shakes his head. “Sit down.”

Mike sits obediently next to Louis and takes out his pen from his messenger bag.

 

 “Where should I sign?”

“Here”, Louis points out. “Here and here.”

Mike studiously signs all the documents before standing up and walking to the window.

“Mike”, Louis sighs. “What’s going on?”

“I want you to tell me everything you know about Harvey Specter”, Mike turns out and blurts out, running his hands through his hair.

 

 

_Oh dear._

“Harvey Specter…”, Louis sighs again. “He gets what he wants and he doesn’t want what he doesn’t get.”

“Meaning?”, Mike asks, quirking an eyebrow.

“Meaning he is an asshole.”

“It’s funny”, Mike smiles. “I must have a thing for assholes then, because I like him.”

“Well, Mike, I can assure you the feeling isn’t mutual. When I left him at your studio yesterday he looked like a guy who was about to undergo root canal surgery.”

 

 

“I know”, Mike laughes. “He was positively terrified of the camera. But I offered him a drink and weed and-“

“You did what?”, Louis shouts, his eyes bulging out of his head.

“We smoked pot together”, Mike admits, all bravado. “He was much more relaxed afterwards.”

“Last time Harvey smoked pot he peed on my bonsai”, Louis hisses, pointing at his miniature tree. “It took me ages to bring this poor thing back to life. Of course, this was all Gabriel Mitchell’s fault, thank God the kid left!”

“Who’s Gabriel Mitchell?”, Mike asks. “He sounds like a cool guy. Is he one of your juniors?”

“Was”, Louis replies. “He left the firm 6 months ago. Gabriel was Harvey’s associate. The two of them were like Butch and Sundance. Two peas in a pod, if you see what I mean.”

“Why did he leave?”, Mike asks with raptured attention. “Was he not good enough?”

“Quite the opposite. The kid was one of the brightest young lawyers I’ve ever met. I even asked him to join my team but Harvey was very possessive with his boy wonder. Gabriel was, however, difficult to control and Harvey kept crossing the lines to cover his ass. One day, Harvey told us he fired him. I suspect the kid did something totally out of line and Harvey decided he had had enough. Harvey never hired a replacement and he’s been gloomy ever since.”, Louis shrugs. “I’ve got to hand it to him, though, the kid was fun. I even miss him too, sometimes, I must admit. He now works as an investment banker with one of the firm’s client, Jonathan Sidwell.”

“So”, Mike says with a serious voice. “Harvey Specter. What else is there to know?”

Louis takes a moment to consider Mike’s request. The kid must’ve developped a crush on Harvey. Wouldn’t be the first one to do so. Louis has to admit to himself that Harvey indeed fits in perfectly with Mike’s long list of criterias, except for one.

_Successfull, check_

_Older, check check_

_Wealthy, check check check_

_Dark and tormented psyche, check check check check._

_Straight, now that’s an issue_

“Okay, I’m going to streamline this for you”, Louis nods. “Harvey Specter, badass lawyer, kicks ass in court, excellent taste in scotch, terrible taste in women in my opinion thus single at the moment after his latest debacle. He is not the right casting for you, I’m afraid, Mike, because he isn’t interested in men. And last but not least, he is emotionally unavailable.”

“Oh, I see…”, Mike says pensively. “Okay, Louis. I get the point.”

_Good, kid, because the last thing I want is having to deal with your feelings for Harvey Specter._

“See you in a fortnight at the Spa”, Mike says, jumping on his feet again. “I’ll need my massage and mudding session after the Paris Fashion Week.”

 

 

“Good luck with Karl”, Louis makes a face. “I don’t know how you put up with him.”

“Karl loves me”, Mike grins. “Everybody does, Louis.”

 

* * *

 

Mike curls himself around Rachel, studying the wardrobe selection over her shoulder. It looks okay but not fully satisfactory. Sure, the stylist has done a great job but-

 

 

“He hasn’t found my _little black dress_ ”, Mike sighs, disappointed. “This is fine but not that exciting. There is something missing here.”

Rachel shivers slightly, her throat killing her. She hopes she isn’t coming down with something because with Mike’s busy schedule and the upcoming Paris Fashion Week, she definitely can’t be sick now.

“Rach’, sweetheart”, Mike taps a finger on his chin. “Do you think you could drop by Harvey’s condo this evening and have a look in his dressing room? I’m pretty sure you’ll find something interesting in there.”

Rachel is the queen for last minute - I’m saving the day – kind of stuff. She has a unique eye to find the perfect piece of clothing and Mike trusts her completely. This is one of the reasons why they work so well together. Well, that and the fact she was gorgeous, sweet and so sophisticated. She’s always on to the lastest trends, restaurants, boutiques and designers. And Grammy adores her. She has long ago given up on the hope that Mike and Rachel would hook up, although there was a brief moment - before Jon - when Mike actually tried dating her. At the time, Mke wasn’t hundred per cent sure about his sexual orientation, he was so young of course, but it didn’t work out because Jon Gallagher arrived in Mike’s life like a tornado sweeping everything else away. Now, he and Rachel are more like brothers and sisters, protecting themselves mutually from the ruthless world of fashion.

“Okay”, Rachel croaks. “I’ll pay Mr Specter’s dressing room a little visit while you attend the Armani cocktail. You haven’t forgotten about that, have you?”

“Nah”, Mike shrugs. “Ray is driving me, and I have a clean suit here so I can go straight from the studio.”

 

* * *

 

 As much as he likes these kinds of social events, Mike has to admit he is rather tired this evening. He’s been here for a little under two hours, already had too much to drink and, of course, not a second to grab anything to eat from the buffet. He spent his time reassuring the whole gang everything was in order for the fashion show on Friday.

As he is about to finally exit at 8 pm to meet Ray downstairs and to rush home for a long hot bath and probably some pizza, his cell phone buzzes with an incoming voice message.

_Rachel._

Mike smiles to himself. Rachel is on her way to Harvey’s and she probably wants to have a chat with him, or maybe she is there already and she wants to share what she’s found. 

“ _Mike, honey, I feel like shit. I think I’m coming down with a fever. I can’t go to Harvey’s. He’s expecting me around 8 pm and his condo is just round the block from where you are. Sorry baby, I’m sure you’ll find something. Call me from his place if you have any doubts and  want my advice.”_

 

 

“Ray”, Mike announces. “Please, take me to this address as fast as you can.”

 

 

* * *

 

Five minutes later, Mike rushes to Harey’s doorman, his cell phone in his hand. Rachel had of course rearranged everything, letting the doorman know she wasn’t coming after all, but sending him instead.

“Good evening“, Mike says, breathless. “Mike Ross. I’m here to visit Harvey Specter.”

“Good evening, Sir”, the doorman replies politely. “Your assistant called me. I just left a message to Mr. Specter to tell him you were visiting instead of Miss Zane. He didn’t pick up, though, he is probably busy on the other line. You may go ahead, this way.”

Mike hops in the private elevator with glass walls and grins, admiring the view. 

 

* * *

 

 

Harvey hears the inside line ringing as he rushes out of the shower. He is late, due to a long boring conversation with the tech guy at the office. His laptop had just crashed and he was just trying to be polite by doing small talk with the guy while he was fixing the damn thing.

_Never discuss with a nerd at 7.30 when you are in a hurry to leave_ , Harvey reminds himself, grabbing his bathrobe on the bathroom chair.

 

 

The doorbell rings before Harvey has a chance to finish drying his hair.

 

 

_Shit._

_Looks like Miss Zane will have to wait in the living room while I get dressed,_ Harvey mutters to himself while marching towards the front door _._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl is of course Karl Lagerfeld.


	6. The little black dress

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey's condo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, well, this is the new chapter.  
> We couldn't leave the boys like that could we?  
> Thanks again to Fiona for drawing this beautiful pic for me.

 

 

 

Harvey takes a sharp intake of breath when he comes face to face with Mike on his doorstep upon opening the door.

“M-Mike?”, he stutters. “I wasn't- I mean… I was expecting Miss Zane.”

Mike's throat goes dry at Harvey's tousled hair, fresh from the shower, small rivulets of water dripping on his skin. Harvey has rolled up the sleeves of his bathrobe and Mike finds it very difficult not to stare. He always had a thing for muscular forearms. All his brain can think about right now is licking the man's throat and ravishing him right here, in his entrance hall.

Harvey looks positively edible like this.

  
_God, you were made for fucking, weren't you?_ “Ah, yes”, Mike manages to answer. “Rachel is ill, she just texted me to ask me to come by, since I happened to be in the neighborhood.”

  
“Okay…”, Harvey murmurs to himself, promptly tightening his bathrobe. “I, uh, I’ll just go grab a t-shirt. In the meantime, you may wait for me in the living room”, he adds, extending his arm in a welcoming gesture.

  
Mike steps in, immediately noticing the view. One thing seems pretty obvious, though, there is no feminine presence here. If Harvey has a girlfriend, it certainly doesn’t show. The whole atmosphere is just very masculine, from the decoration to the style of the furniture. Excellent taste of course, but more of the straight-out-from-a-decoration-magazine type, no real personality.

  
Harvey rushes to his en suite bedroom, his heart pounding in his chest. He certainly didn’t expect Mike to walk into his private space like this, a part of him still secretly thrilled that he did. Harvey takes a freshly ironed grey t-shirt from the shelf, wondering what’s appropriate for this type of occasion.

  
_Black chinos_ , his brain supplies helpfully, _that should do._

  
Mike is still admiring the view when Harvey comes back to the living room. He breathes in a whiff of Harvey’s body wash and shampoo, something expensive and definitely classy.

  
“Blenheim Bouquet?”, Mike asks, grinning. “How very British of you.”

  
Harvey blushes, running his hand in his hair.

  
“Mmh. Yeah. My- I mean, someone gave it to me, a while ago.”

  
“Someone?”, Mike asks, teasing. “Is she British?”

  
“No”, Harvey replies, shaking his head. “But she does live in London.”

  
“Does she like the view?”, Mike asks, head cocked to the side and a knowing smile on his lips.

  
“She doesn’t come here anymore”, Harvey answers, rather somberly. “But, back in the days, yeah… she did like the view. Who wouldn’t?”

  
“It’s beautiful”, Mike says, appreciative, sprawling on Harvey’s luxurious leather couch. “Can’t complain about mine either. It might be even nicer.”

  
“Is that so?”, Harvey smirks, the teasing helping him relax a bit. “Let me guess. Central Park West? Where the rich and famous live?”

  
“Touché “, Mike says, stretching his legs. “Grammy bought the apartment for me. I have the penthouse and she lives on the floor below. Rachel is also in the same building.”

  
“How sweet”, Harvey mocks. “One big happy family.”

  
Mike frowns a little at that, his eyes suddenly clouded with a hint of sadness.

  
“We were not always happy, Harvey. At least I wasn’t.”

  
“I’m sorry”, Harvey says. “I didn’t mean to…”

  
Leaving the conversation at that, Mike bounces back on his feet and starts to fumble in Harvey’s DVD collection.

  
“You’re a trekkie”, he gushes. “I love Star Trek. We should do marathons together.”

  
“Mike”, Harvey sighs. “Didn’t your Grammy teach you it was rude to ransack other people’s belongings without asking them for permission?”

  
“Oh, c’mon!”, Mike laughs, rolling his eyes. “I didn’t ransack anything. And yes, she did. I deliberately chose to ignore it.”

  
“Care for a drink?”, Harvey asks, fetching two glasses in his cabinet. “I was about to have a scotch.”

 

  
“Aye, aye, captain. I’m starving, though”, Mike comments, sauntering to Harvey’s spotless clean kitchen like he owns the place. “Nice kitchen you’ve got here, Harvey. I bet you never cook”, he murmurs, opening Harvey’s cupboards.

 

  
_And I bet there is no decent food in there._

  
“I eat out most of the time”, Harvey admits. “But I do cook when I feel like it.”

  
Mike carefully opens Harvey’s huge fridge, perusing over the different compartments.

 

  
“Vegetables, boring… Fruits, even more boring… Protein shakes, yuck! Seriously, is there any real food in this place?”, Mike makes a face and shuts the fridge door.

  
“Vegetables and fruits are real food”, Harvey scowls.

  
“Nah. I’m gonna order pizza. With cheese in the crust. You should try it, it’ll blow your mind”, Mike states, pulling out his cell phone from his pants pocket.

  
“I don’t eat pizza”, Harvey shakes his head. “I don’t particularly like junk food.”

  
_Yeah, I figured. Like you don’t like to smile._ “You should make an exception for this one time”, Mike insists, his fingers dialing the number while shooting a glance at Harvey’s perfect features. “Trust me, you don’t need to worry about calories, old man”, he wiggles his eyebrows.

  
Harvey’s heart warms at the comment, but he chooses to hide it.

  
“Besides”, Mike continues. “I think older men are much sexier anyway, even if they tend to get a little chubby around the edges sometimes. It’s very cute.”

  
“I never pictured you as the guy with a sugar daddy kink”, Harvey retorts, suddenly liking where this conversation is heading. “With all the money you’re making…”

  
“I’m not interested in their money”, Mike winks. “Older men have other qualities, if you see what I mean.”

  
“Umm”, Harvey replies eloquently, watching Mike rummage in his kitchen drawers to grab cutleries. “And what would those qualities be, uh?”

  
“Should I pick some plates or are we going to eat straight from the box?”, Mike asks, strolling towards the living room.

  
“Where do you think you’re going?”, Harvey asks, half-amused half-puzzled, as Mike gets comfortable on the couch, his feet now on the coffee table. “We are certainly not going to eat pizza on the couch-”

 

  
“Of course we are!”, Mike laughs. “That’s the whole point of having pizza in the first place.”

 

  
_Just look at you, Harvey, you’re two steps away from having a heart attack. You’re so adorable I can’t even._

  
Harvey briefly considers setting things straight on the subject of Mike’s behavior before he remembers that the two of them have a whole photo session the next morning. Something that still terrifies him and he has a distinct feeling Mike can make the whole experience a living nightmare.

  
“Fine. I’ll make an exception just this once”, Harvey gives in, pinching the bridge of his nose. “But you must know that I think you are a spoiled brat, with all due respect of course.”

  
“I know”, Mike chuckles, mischievous. “But I happen to be your guest. And I’ve been taught that guests should always get what they want.”

 

* * *

 

“So”, Mike says, eagerly devouring his fourth slice of pizza. “You were wondering about the perks of dating older men.”

“I thought we dropped that matter altogether a while ago”, Harvey smirks, gulping his second scotch while surreptitiously looking at Mike, who’s busy sucking his thumb, and somehow Harvey finds that disturbingly hot.

 

‘You might have”, Mike grins. “But I haven’t. Let’s see. Like I said, older men are more interesting, especially in bed”, he adds nonchalantly. _It’s so easy to make you blush , Harvey._ “What they lack in stamina, they compensate in creativity”, he continues, unfazed. “I don’t mind the stamina situation anyway, because I’m the one doing all the hard work usually.”

Harvey wonders what to answer to that. Mike Ross, whom he barely knows, just casually admitted to him that he liked to top older guys.

“Are you always so…”, Harvey stutters, his mouth on the rim of his glass, desperately searching for his words.

“Straightforward about my sex life?”, Mike provides helpfully. “Always”, he nods proudly.

 

* * *

 

 

Mike swirls in Harvey’s super classy dressing room like he belongs there, his long fingers methodically searching for the perfect piece of clothing.

They moved from the living-room to Harvey’s dressing room right after Mike dropped his bombshell, Harvey feeling the need to bring this conversation back to safer grounds, like clothing for instance.

“Suits, shirts and more suits”, Mike grumbles. “I can’t find- Ah, this looks promising!”

Mike triumphantly waves a black sportswear sweater as he struts towards Harvey.

“This”, he smiles. “This is perfect. What do you think, Harvey?”

“Oh no”, Harvey immediately replies. “I can’t wear that. It’s not even mine. It’s Marcus’”

 _And who the hell is Marcus? “_ Marcus ?”, Mike asks, quirking his eyebrows. “Does he make a habit of leaving clothes in your dressing room?”

“It’s not what you think”, Harvey says, clearing his throat. “Marcus is my brother. I guess he forgot this the last time he came to visit.”

“Hmm”, Mike hums pensively, his fingers running on the soft fabric. “It’s a nice sweater, though. I bet it’ll look gorgeous on you. Are you and Marcus the same size?”

“Almost”, Harvey shrugs as Mike gently wraps the sweater over Harvey’s shoulders, clearly invading his private space.

“Try it on”, Mike orders in a whisper, closing the space between them. “Please.”

Harvey steps back to put the sweater on. He swallows, nervous, as Mike grabs his cell phone to take a few snapshots.

“Stunning”, Mike says, as Harvey turns on himself. “Really hot.”

Harvey all but freezes at Mike’s choice of words, his gaze dropping to the floor. He opens his mouth but no sound comes out of it.

“Harvey?”, Mike asks, with genuine concern. “Are you okay?”

« Are you…”, Harvey murmurs, lifting his eyes but still averting Mike’s gaze. “Are you hitting on me ?”

_Oh Harvey. Of course I’m hitting on you. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Left to my own devices I would’ve stripped you naked and fucked you senseless the minute I entered your condo._

“Of course not”, Mike scoffs, a carnivorous smile on his lips. “Believe me you would know if I were”, he says as he walks towards Harvey, the easy sway of his hips making the other man feel dizzy. “Because if I were indeed hitting on you…”, he whispers, voice low and seductive, his thumb gently pressing on Harvey’s lower lip. “I would start by doing this. And then…”, he continues, his other hand brushing the nape of Harvey’s neck. “I would move on to this…”, he suppresses a victory chuckle when he is rewarded by a series of goose bumps appearing on Harvey’s forearms. “And since you seem to be doing fine”, he breathes, his finger moving from Harvey’s face to his hips. “I would also try this”, he adds, stroking the fabric of Harvey’s chino pants.

“Mike”, Harvey all but moans, bucking his hips in response. “Please don’t do this.”

 _I’m getting mixed signals here from you, Harvey._ “Tell me to stop and I will”, Mike exhales, his lips now inches away from Harvey’s mouth.

Harvey automatically stiffens and grabs Mike’s shoulders in a convulsive clutch.

Feeling guilty at Harvey’s obvious distress, Mike moves in closer, resting his hands on the other man’s lower back in a soothing gesture.

“Mike”, Harvey clears his throat uncomfortably. “I think we should-“

And then, Mike chooses to silence Harvey with a kiss.

 

At first, unable to quite believe he just kissed Harvey, Mike pulls back a little, feeling the floor tilt under his feet, just a bit and a low growl emanates from Harvey’s throat as he chases Mike’s mouth down, opening his own lips to breathe into Mike, gently touching his tongue. Mike understands that it’s now safe to kiss Harvey back. It’s open-mouthed and dirty and perfect. Harvey tastes like expensive scotch and pizza, a combination Mike finds intoxicating. He can feel the shivers coursing through Harvey’s torso, and the rising pressure behind the zipper of Harvey’s pants.

_You taste so good, Harvey_

Harvey shoves Mike against the shelves, gasping into the curve of Mike’s neck and groping shakily for the front of his pants. At the pressure of Harvey’s hand on his crotch, Mike regains a semblance of sanity and wrenches away from him.

“What is that you want, Harvey?”, he asks, pupils blown wide. “Because I’m not going to fuck you in your dressing room.”

A long, silent minute passes, during which Mike is unable to read anything in Harvey’s eyes. Not a clue, not even the beginning of an answer.

“I’m sorry”, Harvey suddenly blurts out. “I’m sorry, Mike, I didn’t mean to…”, he shakes his head.

And with that, Harvey rushes out of the room, leaving a completely dumbfounded Mike behind.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

“That’s it”, Mike says, dropping to his knees to join Harvey on the living room floor. “I’m calling 911. You’re having a heart attack.”

Harvey clutches the fabric of his t-shirt, obviously in great pain. He is close to tears and keeps babbling incoherent sentences like _I’m sorry, it’s all my fault, this was way out of line and I_ _shouldn’t have._

“Here”, Mike murmurs, gently squeezing Harvey’s neck in an attempt to ground him. “Just breathe for me, okay? And drink this while I call the paramedics.”

“It’s not a heart attack”, Harvey whimpers, grabbing the proffered glass of water with shaky hands, his breathing labored. “Mike, please, it’s just a panic attack.”

“You’re not having the gay panic thing, are you ?”, Mike attempts to joke, softly running his fingertips through Harvey’s hair. “Because you seemed to like whatever we were doing in there.”

“Mike”, Harvey replies, gulping his drink. “First of all I’m not gay, second, what happened in there was-“

“Fantastic?”, Mike offers, sensing Harvey’s slowly regaining his composure. “Awesome? Mind-blowing?”

“A mistake”, Harvey shakes his head, visibly crestfallen. “I’m not… that kind of guy.”

_Harvey, you’re so far in the closet that you can’t see the light. I am willing to help you, though._

“I need you to leave”, Harvey hisses, standing up and almost dragging Mike by the elbow towards the entrance hall. “I need you to leave, _now_.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	7. Dancing on ice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after the kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we are going to see the shooting at Ross Studio. Afer all, these are the pics that inspired the whole fic 8 months ago.

 

 

 

Harvey wakes up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, disturbing fragments of his nightmare reemerging in his sleep-deprived brain.

Something about Jessica and yelling and Gabriel.

_Gabriel._

Harvey never dreams about Gabriel, never allows himself to think about those days when the two of them were best friends, the kid practically living in his office or his condo. Harvey doesn’t remember exactly when his feelings shifted from _wanting to be_ with Gabriel to _wanting_ Gabriel. He remembers the longing, the desire to touch, caress and possess. He remembers long office nights with lots of laughter and shared secrets, awesome movie nights at his condo with the two of them falling asleep on the couch, Gabriel’s head resting on Harvey’s shoulder.

Harvey shakes his head, knowing full well he won’t be able to fall asleep again, his mind now filled with memories he’d carefully stored away in denial-land. Memories of his crush on his Harvard Corporate Law Professor, for instance, or his attraction to Cameron Dennis when he was working at the DA’s office. At first, he had thought those deviant impulses derived from his desperate need for a father figure. Having left home at the age of eighteen, it made sense that he would be looking for older men, for mentors. As the years went by, as a steady stream of women visited his bed, Harvey decided to ignore his occasional inclination for men, younger men now as it turned out, but then again he was hitting forty so it made perfect sense in a way. Women were easier, no strings attached, no drama, no pain. To make a long story short, Harvey had resigned himself to a love life made of one-night stands.

When Gabriel showed up at the Chilton, Harvey immediately felt Gabriel was everything he ever wanted and more. He was very careful, though, as weeks went by, never to disclose his true colors.

Until that night.

They had been working like dogs, at least Gabriel had, and Harvey felt really bad for the kid. Something inside him wanted to cajole and care and more prosaically feed. The kid sure was getting skinnier by the minute.

“Care for some food?”, Harvey asked, repressing the urge to ruffle the kid’s hair.

Gabriel was sprawled on Harvey’s couch, his shirt untucked and sleeves rolled up. He looked perfectly delicious.

“God, yes”, he yawned. “I’m hungry, although-”

Gabriel paused, licking his slips and Harvey immediately became half hard at the sight.

 _I really need to get laid sometime soon,_ Harvey said to himself.

“Although I don’t know what I really want”, Gabriel continued, blissfully unaware of Harvey’s thoughts.

“Sushi?”, Harvey offered, crossing his legs to hide his now flamboyant erection. “I could order from that place you like.”

“Hanawa?”, Gabriel babbled, suddenly looking like an overexcited young puppy, fatigue forgotten for now. “Harvey, I think I love you.”

 _Don’t say things like that, Gabriel_ , Harvey thought, before taking his phone out of his pocket and ordering from the menu.

As soon as the food arrived, Gabriel leapt over it like a starved animal, shoving sushi inside his mouth with gusto.

“Mmm”, he said, pausing for a minute after having eaten at least fifteen pieces. “This is delicious, Harvey.”

Harvey watched, transfixed, the tiny drop of soy sauce falling from the corner of Gabriel’s lips.

“What is it?”, Gabriel asked, hesitant. “Is there something wrong with my face?”

Harvey wondered what it would feel like to taste Gabriel for the very first time, to touch those lips and get lost in the kiss.

“There is nothing wrong with your face, Gabe”, Harvey murmured, sitting right beside Gabriel on the couch, his fingertips delicately wiping away the soy sauce. “I am quite fond of your face actually.”

“Oh”, Gabriel said, biting his lower lip. “So you think I’m a just a pretty face?”, he joked.

“Never”, Harvey murmured. “Your freaking brain is also very attractive.”

Gabriel remained silent at that, lips slightly parted, because Harvey singing his praise was something he wasn’t accustomed to.

“Thank you”, he blushed.

And that was the moment Harvey decided to act upon his feelings. He didn’t give it much thought, it was past two am anyway, and Gabriel’s mouth felt perfect under his.

The kiss, however, didn’t last long because Gabriel quickly but gently pushed Harvey away.

“Harvey”, he panted, wide eyed. “Sorry… I can’t… We can’t do this.”

Harvey felt a chasm open under his feet when he realized he had just crossed a totally forbidden line.

“I, uh, I… I’m not into guys”, Gabriel mumbled apologetically. “But believe me, if I were, I would be delighted because you are quite the catch, but I’m just… I mean I have a girlfriend and all…”

“I’m so sorry”, Harvey said, deathly pale. “That was way out of line, I shouldn’t have…this is all my fault-“

“God”, Gabriel said, staring intently at Harvey, concern written all over his face. “You’re… you’re serious about this aren’t you? I mean… this isn’t just a crush or something, right? You’ve been thinking about this for quite a while, haven’t you?”

“Yeah”, Harvey admitted, looking Gabriel straight in the eye. “I have. I must’ve read the whole thing completely wrong… but yes. Definitely. I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.”

Gabriel rose from the couch, carefully putting the rest of his meal aside.

“You’ll have my letter of resignation on your desk tomorrow”, he said, his voice filled with anguish.

“But I don’t want you to leave”, Harvey shook his head frantically. “I can’t be me without you.”

“Oh, Harvey”, Gabriel whispered sadly. “I don’t want to quit, believe me. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You’re the reason I wake up every morning. I love working with you… but I don’t see how…”

Harvey felt long icy fingers wrapping around his heart. He simply couldn’t envision a future without Gabriel at his side.

“We can make this work”, Harvey begged. “Nothing has to change. We can still work together.”

“No, we can’t”, Gabriel sighed. “We can’t because I’m afraid everything has changed now. Do you seriously believe that this… this won’t have any repercussion on our work relationship? You just admitted you had feelings for me, for Christ’s sake. And you may think you can overcome this but tomorrow or the day after when I’ll walk into your office you’ll start hating me for this.”

As much as Harvey didn’t want to hear the hard truth, he had to admit to himself Gabriel was absolutely right.

“I’ll find you a job”, Harvey said, pacing around his desk like a caged animal. “I’ll give you money, even, to compensate-”

“Calm the hell down”, Gabriel said, resting his hand on Harvey’s shoulder in a placating gesture. “I don’t want your money.”

“Sidwell”, Harvey muttered. “Sidwell keeps gushing about you. I’m pretty sure I can get him to hire you on the spot.”

They spent the rest of the night building a believable story. They both agreed that it would look strange if Gabriel resigned all of a sudden. It would make more sense for Harvey to throw a hissy fit about Gabriel’s latest stunt and fire him.

“But I don’t want you to have that in your record”, Harvey insisted. “Especially since it’s my fault you’re leaving in the first place.”

“You can tell everyone at the firm that you fired me”, Gabriel conceded. “But I will resign nonetheless in order to keep my personal record spotless clean for any future employer”

“Sidwell won’t mind if I tell him I had to fire you”, Harvey admitted somberly. “He is such a maverick himself… as a matter of fact, this will make you all the more desirable to him.”

There were of course other issues, as Gabriel pointed out, like Human Resources, for instance.

“How are we going to handle HR?”, Gabriel asked. “We need to tell them the truth otherwise the whole plan could go down the drain.”

“I will take care of that, I have my ways”, Harvey hinted, evasive. “I know someone at HR that owes me one.”

And just like that, Gabriel left PSL two days later.

An unrelenting pain has settled in Harvey’s chest ever since. He was never the same at work after Gabriel left the firm.

* * *

 

 

Mike doesn’t sleep at all after leaving Harvey’s. He keeps wandering in his condo, thinking about what just took place in Harvey’s dressing room.

Harvey’s reaction didn’t make any sense at all. He was obviously under a lot of stress after having kissed Mike back and that was… well, very strange. Mike can’t figure out what was going on in Harvey’s tormented mind at the time. Sure, he pushed Harvey to the limit by flirting heavily, but still, Harvey is a grown man. And what was this bullshit about apologizing? Apologizing for what? For kissing Mike back?

Mike scratches his head, pensive. Maybe Harvey is bi? And he refuses to act upon it because it’s too complicated for him to admit his attraction to men?

Mike remembers how much Harvey wanted _this_ , wanted _him_. It would have been so easy for him to just _fuck_ Harvey, plain and simple, on the dressing room floor.

Mike heads for the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee. It’s already 7 am and his team must be on their way to prepare the shooting. As a matter of fact he should shower and call Ray to pick him up in thirty minutes. He has a lot of stuff to check before Harvey arrives at the studio.

_Harvey._

Mike doesn’t feel like he is going to be able to face Harvey after what happened. Moreover, he just made a move on Harvey and Harvey shot him down. Mike isn’t used to that, _at all_. He always gets what he wants when it comes to seducing other guys.

_I’m not showing up today, full stop._

* * *

 

Harvey decides to suck it up and enters the studio at 9.30 sharp.

The place is packed with people. Harvey is politely invited to sit down while Gregory, Mike’s assistant, starts to prep the lightning equipment. He takes deep breaths as the make up artist and the hairdresser begin to pamper him for the shooting. He hates it when people touch his hair or his face.

“You okay, Harvey?”, Rachel asks, handing him a cup of coffee. “Mike should be there any minute now.”

“I’m fine”, Harvey replies noncommittally. “I’m supposed to give you this”, he adds, pointing at the black sportswear sweater sitting on a chair nearby. “Mike picked it up yesterday.”

“Hmm”, Rachel murmurs, carefully scrutinizing the sweater. “It’s a nice piece. I bet Mike will take his best photo with this one”, she winks.

“Speaking of which, where’s Mike?”, Gregory asks. “I’m almost done here. He can start whenever he wants.”

 _Good question. Where are you Mike? ,_ Harvey wonders, nervous.

“You know what?”, Rachel mutters. “I’m gonna call him and find out.”

* * *

 “Are you kidding me? Mike?”, Rachel whispers over the phone “What do you mean you’re not coming? Are you insane?”

Rachel bites her nail, anxious. There is no way Mike can skip this shooting. Donna would have a fit if she knew Gregory was going to handle Harvey instead of Mike. Sure, Gregory is good but he’s not who LifeStyle Magazine is paying huge money for.

“Mike”, Rachel says, exasperated. “I showed up at work and I’m sick as a horse. You are not sick at all. You’re bullshitting me. What’s wrong with you?”

There is a long silence on the line.

“Mike?”

“I fucked up, Rach.”

“What happened last night?”, Rachel asks, already dreading the answer to that question. “Did you two have a fight or something?”

“I kissed him.”

“You did what?”, Rachel chokes. “My God, Mike you’re incorrigible. He must have been terrified. No wonder he looks subdued this morning.”

“He kissed me back, Rach. And then he kicked me out of his condo.”

“You bet he did”, Rachel hisses. “You’re out of your mind. Remember what we always said? Never with clients? You’re a grown man, Mike, so get your skinny ass out of bed or I’ll send Donna over to kick you out of bed herself. Your choice.”

* * *

 There is a lot going on on set when Mike barges into the studio. Gregory has apparently finished the prelighting and has taken a few shots already. The team is gathered around the monitors to check the first pictures.

Harvey looks incredible in a plain white t-shirt, and Mike is once again overwhelmed by the desire to grab the man by the hand and haul him to a more private place.

_Not today. Maybe someday, but definitely not today._

“Everybody, get the fuck out”, Mike barks, walking towards his team. “I’ll take it from here.”

Harvey’s smile disappears instantly as he sees Mike approaching him.

“Oh”, Gregory whispers in Harvey’s ear. “The boss is wearing denim today. Very bad sign. He must’ve had a very bad night. Good luck, my friend.”

Harvey follows the rest of the crowd, trying to persuade himself that Mike might want to drop the shooting altogether and use Gregory’s first takes instead.

“This doesn’t apply to you, Harvey”, Mike threatens, his voice ice cold. “You stay right where you are. I’m not done with you yet.”

“Good morning to you too, Mike”, Harvey begins, lifting his chin defiantly. “I’m so looking forward to this session with you.”

“So am I, Harvey”, Mike retorts, grabbing his camera. “Now, put this brown shirt on and just sit.”

“Sit?”, Harvey asks, a little hesitant. “Where?”

“On the floor”, Mike replies dismissively. “Over there. Yeah you heard me. Just sit down and look pretty.”

Harvey represses the urge to jump at the other man’s throat as he reluctantly goes to change his shirt.

“Hmm”, Mike observes, appreciative, taking shots of Harvey lying on the concrete floor. “Nice watch you’ve got there, Harvey. Breitling?”

“Yes”, Harvey grumbles, a little thrown off by the sudden change in Mike’s mood. “My dad’s.”

“Well, your father has great taste, Harvey”, Mike notes. “Look at me, yes. Just like that.”

“Had”, Harvey corrects.

“Sorry”, Mike ventures, changing the lenses. “Did he-”

“You don’t give a fuck about my father”, Harvey growls, clenching his jaws. “So cut the crap, will you?”

_You are so beautiful when you’re upset, Harvey._

“Stand back up and walk to the window”, Mike orders. “And just for the record, that’s flat out not true. I’m an orphan, Harvey. Of course I care.”

Harvey stands by the window, running his hand on his forehead, feeling highly uncomfortable after what Mike just said.

“Listen, Mike”, Harvey breathes. “About what happened last night-”

“Beautiful”, Mike cuts him. “Can you stay just like this? Yeah? Perfect.”

_You are gorgeous when you’re sad too, Harvey. In fact, I could take thousands of pictures of you and I bet you’d be stunning in each and every one of them._

“About last night”, Harvey starts again. “I, uh, I think…”

_Yeah, you’re not into guys. Or at least that’s what you choose to tell yourself. I know the drill. Try as you might to fight your true self, you’re still a hell of a good kisser, Harvey._

“Let’s forget about last night”, Mike declares. “Let’s keep this purely professional, okay? We are going to finish this thing for the magazine as professionally as we can and then we won’t see each other again, ever.

* * *

 

 

“Okay, but why the insistence on never seeing each other again?”, Harvey blurts out, more than fifteen minutes later, sitting on a wooden brick for the next shot.

“You know”, Mike replies softly. “Louis says you’re an emotionally unavailable asshole. I trust Louis with my life but I don’t believe he’s right about you. I think that deep down you care about people, I think you’re a good man, Harvey.”

Harvey remains silent after that, because Mike is in fact spot on.

“I want you to put on your brother’s sweater now”, Mike adds, coming closer to Harvey. ”I’ll do a middle shot and a series of close-ups, if you don’t mind.”

“How long do you want me for this?”, Harvey asks, running his hand in his hair. “We’ve been at it for ages already.”

_I want you for as long as I can have you, Harvey._

“Until I’m satisfied”, Mike grins. “This is perfect. I think I will recommend this one for the cover.”

“You’re pretty good at reading people”, Harvey admits. “I guess you have to, being a photographer.”

“Yes. I read people for a living”, Mike says, proudly. “Unlike people, the camera never lies and when I look at you, I see a guy that was damaged at some point of his life and that now believes emotions are a waste of time.”

“I’m against having emotions, not against using them”, Harvey immediately retorts, narrowing his eyes.

“You know”, Mike continues. “Grammy has a word for people like you. She uses an analogy, with a pineapple: a rough exterior but all sweet on the inside.”

“You’re comparing me to a pineapple?”, Harvey bursts out laughing. “Seriously?”

Mike captures this moment because it’s too perfect to let it pass.

_This is a gorgeous close-up of you, Harvey. I think I’ll keep this one for myself and jerk off into oblivion each time I look at it._

“I’m done”, Mike declares after another round of clicks on his camera. “Donna will be over the moon, this is good.”

Harvey saunters to the fitting room to change, lost in his thoughts. Mike is already gone when he comes back out. Harvey decides to walk to Mike’s office to say goodbye, even though he really doesn’t want to say goodbye at all.

Mike is waiting for him, leaning against the windowsill.

“You never answered my question”, Harvey murmurs, ducking his head. “So I guess this is the last time we see each other”, he swallows, gritting his teeth. “We could’ve been friends, you know.”

“I could never be friends with you”, Mike says, locking eyes with Harvey. “I would always want more and you’re not prepared to do that. But I’ll make one exception to the not seeing each other again rule. When I finish my selection, I’ll drop by to your office and show you the photos.”

“Alright”, Harvey exhales, extending his hand. “See you in a couple of days, then.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit this chapter was a nightmare to edit.  
> I am quite proud of myself at the result.  
> Lol.  
> And to think that two years ago I didn't know how to insert a pic on AO3 ( or Tumblr)


	8. Secrets and lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Louis finds something interesting.

 

 

Louis stands, fully erect, in the now pristine bullpen. He sighs contentedly because the place looks far better organized than it did this morning. Jessica made an acid remark about the ambient mess in the associates’ bullpen the previous day _– “How do you expect them to work properly in a place like this,_ _Louis?” –_ and Louis, of course, went overboard to clean out his firm, his home.

“Mr. Litt? Sir?”, a small murmur behind his back startles him.

Louis instantly turns around and comes face to face with Harold. The young associate blushes, like he always does when addressing a senior partner, clutching a small cardboard box.

“I’ve… when we… I…”, he stutters, nervous, running a hand through his long curls. “This, ahem, I think-“

“Give it to me”, Louis cuts him, staring at the box marked with the initials GM.

He takes the box with precaution before heading back to his office, where he opens it to explore its content. There is probably nothing of interest in there, but Louis is nothing if not thorough. Cleaning means filing and maybe Gabriel left something important that should be stored in the file room. Louis’ fingers shift through various uninteresting paper works, a few doodles and lots of yellow highlighters. He keeps those, remembering how Gabriel used to stick them in his mouth while exercising his amazing brain of his on some case. Louis still misses the genius kid like crazy.

He is about to drop everything in the wastebasket when something catches his eyes. He frowns, bringing the sheet close to the lamp to scrutinize Gabriel’s writing. It’s a draft of a resignation letter. Louis scratches his head, pensive. The letter is dated two days prior to Gabriel’s departure from PSL. This doesn’t make any sense at all. The kid was fired. By Harvey. Why would he write a resignation letter two days before getting fired?

“Norma”, Louis hisses in the intercom. “I’m going to HR. Can you hold my calls for a couple of minutes? I’ll be right back.”

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re saying you’ve never seen this letter?”, Louis thunders, menacing, towering over Vivian Larkin’s desk. “I think you are lying.”

Vivian Larkin is the head of HR. She knows how to handle basket cases like Louis Litt, she does it on a daily basis. The subject of Gabriel Mitchell’s departure, though, is a real pebble in her shoe. She had always suspected this one would come back to bite her in the butt at some point. She didn’t expect it would be with Louis Litt.

“It’s just a draft, Louis. Associates tend to freak out and decide to quit all the time, especially with assholes like you or Harvey. I deal with that kind of problem everyday and most of the time I manage to make them change their mind.”

“It doesn’t seem strange to you that the kid writes a draft for a resignation letter and then he gets fired? The next day? This screams harassment to me. Show me his personal file.”

“You are aware I can’t do that, Louis-“

“Fine. I’ll take the matter to Jessica, then.”

“You’ll never let this one go, will you?’, Vivian sighs, lifting her hands in a calming gesture. “Okay, fine. Yes, I’ve seen this letter before and yes I have it in his file. He did resign but Harvey told everyone he fired him.”

“And you went with that? But that’s kind of illegal, I mean…”

“Not if both parties agree to do so. I had every reason to believe Gabriel was fully on board with this.”

“You also owed a big one to Harvey because he helped your son to get into Harvard Law”, Louis sneers. “I still think this whole procedure sucks and you know it does.”

“They both came to me, that day”, Vivian retorts, unfazed. “Harvey told me he was going to fire the kid because he couldn’t cope with his shenanigans anymore. He also wanted Gabriel to have a clean record for his future employers, thus he asked me, as a favor, to accept his resignation letter. Gabriel already had a job lined up at Sidwell, who didn’t give a damn about the fact that PSL supposedly just fired him. I had a private conversation with Gabriel afterwards to make sure he wasn’t cornered into doing this. I also had him sign an agreement stipulating he can’t sue the firm about this later if he changes his mind. Does that answer your question, Louis? Because I have other matters to tend to right now, if you don’t mind.”

 

* * *

 

 

Louis comes back to his office, still perplexed about the whole thing. He can sense something is wrong but he can’t quite put his finger on it.

“Press until it hurts”, he mumbles to himself, remembering Harvey’s mentoring sessions with Gabriel.

Harvey’s noble gesture about keeping the kid’s record clean for the future just doesn’t make sense for someone who knows Harvey as well as Louis does. Harvey Specter is a ruthless arrogant prick, and Louis has never seen him having second thoughts about associates he decides to let go. Harvey usually just rips people to shreds and carry along with his life, no remorse whatsoever.

“Norma?”, Louis barks in the intercom. “I’d like to have lunch with Gabriel Mitchell this week. See if you can find a time that suits the both of us.”

 

* * *

 

 

“Can’t a guy just wants to be nice to another guy and offer him a piece of cake that will knock his socks off?”, Louis singsongs, feeding Gabriel with a huge chunk of delicious cheese cake. “Seriously, Gabriel, don’t you think this is awesome?”

“And we both know”, Gabriel swallows, narrowing his eyes while desperately trying to avoid the piece of cake. “That you are not that kind of guy.”

“That’s hurtful”, Louis scowls. “I was just trying to be nice. This is my favorite restaurant and my favorite cake. I’m a sharing kind of guy.”

“Did Harvey send you?”, Gabriel asks, suspicious. “Because I can’t give you anything on the Logan Sanders/Gillis Industries take over. Jonathan would kill me if-”

Louis smiles fondly. They just enjoyed a perfectly fantastic meal. Gabriel is still super fun and witty, his rapid-fire jokes and anecdotes about investment bankers being a true delight. He’s so much funnier to have lunch with compared to all the other associates Louis supervises on a daily basis.

“Nah”, Louis answers, checking the bill. “Nothing to worry about Gillis Industries. Harvey doesn’t even know I’m having lunch with you. I just miss you, is all.”

“That’s nice”, Gabriel blushes. “Thank you, Louis.”

“Why did you leave, Gabriel?”, Louis asks softly. “You told me investment banking isn’t as fun as being a lawyer… And I know for a sure fact Harvey misses you like crazy. He never hired a replacement for you, you know.”

“I miss him too”, Gabriel confesses with a sad smile. “But Harvey fired me, a fact you are no doubt aware of.”

“I could convince him to take you back if that’s what you want”, Louis offers, handing his credit card to the waiter.

 _Touché,_ Louis thinks to himself, watching Gabriel bite his lower lip and squirm on his seat.

“That would be unethical, my firm is a client of PSL.”

“I could work something around that”, Louis says, leaning in closer to Gabriel, a conspiratorial look on his face. “You just have to ask.”

“Harvey and I…”, Gabriel starts, averting Louis’s gaze. “We can’t work together again.”

“Because he fired you? Happens all the time. People get fired, people come back. Everyday”, Louis says, sitting back, waiting for the kid to spill the truth.

At some point, Gabriel will have to give in. It’s just a matter of time. No one can resist Louis when he is in full interrogation mode.

After what feels like an eternity, Louis removes a sheet of paper from his pocket and hands it to Gabriel.

“Care to share about this resignation letter of yours?”

“This?”, Gabriel shrugs, not even batting an eye. “It’s just a draft, Louis. Harvey and I had a fight, a few days before he decided to fire me. He came really nasty on me and I decided to quit. It turned out I didn’t need this after all because the next day I deliberately refused to follow his orders on a case and he kicked me out for good. I deserved it though.”

 _You’re good at this, Gabriel_ , Louis thinks, _it must be the Specter training. I know you’re lying to my face right now. What I don’t understand is why._

 

* * *

 

Louis drives back to PSL, lost in his thoughts. Gabriel didn’t give in after all, and Louis fears that the kid would rather die a thousand deaths than tell the truth. Another Specter imprint, possibly. Harvey is so adamant about loyalty. It seems quite obvious to Louis that Harvey and his former protégé are hiding something.

Louis grips the wheel, replaying the lunch with Gabriel in his head. The kid is smart, no doubt. He almost admitted he is a little bit miserable at Sidwell’s, which isn’t surprising because Sidwell is a jerk. Yet, he refused to consider the possibility of coming back to work with his beloved mentor. He also fabricated lies about the reason he left.

Louis still thinks it’s a damn shame the kid was let go in the first place. Such a waste, really. Gabriel Mitchell would have matured like fine wine and turned into a wonderful lawyer if Harvey had kept him by his side.

Gabriel and his awesome mind. Gabriel and his cute smile, sparkling green eyes, skinny ties and big heart. Even his eagerness to please, like an overexcited puppy, was the sweetest thing. Hell, sometimes, Gabriel reminded Louis of Mike Ross.

“These two”, Louis mutters, entering the firm’s parking lot. “With their boyish charm, extraordinary talent and their tendency to end up in trouble… No matter how hard we-”

And then. _Oh fuck._

Realization hits him so hard he almost crashes the car on the left pillar of his parking spot.

Gabriel’s soft features… Gabriel’s total devotion to Harvey. The way he looked at Harvey sometimes with pure blatant adoration. The way he flirted, touched and breathed around his mentor. Harvey could ask for the moon and Gabriel would rush out to get it for him.  The kid was probably enamored from day one. Come to think of it, Louis doesn’t remember any girlfriend around Gabriel Mitchell, which again doesn’t make sense at all because the kid is definitely super cute.

 _Gabriel Mitchell came out of the closet at some point and Harvey couldn’t take it_.

Louis works out the scenario in his head in less than two seconds. Late night at the office, tough case, sitting together on Harvey’s couch… at some point Gabriel must’ve spilled his guts to Harvey. Harvey, the epitome of alpha masculinity, probably a tad homophobic too, most certainly freaked out and put pressure on the kid to make him quit. Gabriel resisted, at first and then got fired. This bullshit about keeping his record clean with HR was probably Harvey’s perverted way to force the kid to accept the deal.

Louis’s heart sinks when he realizes what Gabriel has been through. He will definitely put that matter in Jessica’s hands. He is, after all, responsible for all the associates and actions against this kind of behavior should be taken. He will make sure of that. He just needs to confront Harvey about all this mess beforehand.

 

* * *

 

Louis rapidly pulls down the shades of his office before opening his secret locker.  No one knows about this locker, well, except for Sheila, but she is long gone so that doesn’t count. He peruses over the framed pictures of all the associates, past and present, that have been left under his supervision.  _Promising seedlings_ , as he calls them, or  _my ponies_ , sometimes. He grabs Gabriel’s and rushes to Harvey’s office.

Harvey is engrossed in some tedious contract proofing when Louis barges into his office.

“He was my favorite pony, you know”, Louis enunciates, dropping Gabriel’s picture on Harvey’s desk.

Harvey raises his head, exasperated by this unwelcome intrusion into his private space. Louis looks awfully agitated, which never bodes well for the future. Harvey frowns when he sees the picture of his ex-associate.

“I liked him too, Louis. But sometimes you have to get rid of the good ones when their insubordination becomes a real issue for the firm.”

“I just had lunch with him, actually”, Louis says, his voice saccharine smooth. “He says hello, by the way.”

“How is he these days?”, Harvey asks, pushing his file aside to stand up and head towards the door, hoping Louis will get the hint and leave.

“Shame on you”, Louis hisses, pointing a menacing finger at Harvey. “I know what you did. It’s despicable.”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about”, Harvey snaps a little. “I didn’t do anything-”

“I know everything!”, Louis yells, throwing the draft of Gabriel’s resignation letter in Harvey’s face. “I went to Vivian too!”

Harvey feels a chasm open under his feet. Did Gabriel tell Louis what happened that night in his office? Did he tell him about the kiss and the fallout afterwards? Gabriel is very loyal, but Louis is a damn good investigator when he wants to. And what exactly did Louis learn at HR? Harvey walks back to the windowsill, clutching the letter in his hand.

“I fired the kid, Louis. This is just a draft.”

“Bullshit!”, Louis growls, menacing. “I’ve heard two different versions of what happened so far. None of them are true. I’m waiting for yours before I go straight to Jessica to tell her what a jerk you are. I recall she wasn’t a big fan of the kid, but she is going to cut your throat about this. You know how she feels about minorities.”

Harvey leans against the windowsill, swallowing thickly. _Minorities?_ What the hell is that supposed to mean? Harvey’s lawyer brain tells him to remain silent because chances are Louis is going to blurt out some valuable piece of information to help him find out what is really going on.

“Do you realize how badly this could reflect on the firm if the kid decided to sue us? Because the agreement he signed isn’t worth shit and you know it. Any good gay right activist could bend that and we would loose.”

Harvey frowns, the pieces of the puzzle slowly assembling in his mind. Maybe Gabriel turned the story upside down to protect him?

“Louis”, Harvey says, cautious. “I’m not sure what Gabriel told you but I can assure you this-”

“He didn’t tell me anything, he didn’t have to because I figured it out all by myself”, Louis mutters. “It’s pretty clear anyway, what happened. The kid had a crush on you and I guess one night, after a long day’s work he admitted his feelings to you. _Feelings_ , Harvey, you know… _emotions._ Those things that make us human and vulnerable, those things you hate and choose to store away on a distant galaxy?”

Harvey flinches at that, because Louis is so damn right it makes his stomach churn. In the blink of an eye, Harvey realizes he only has two options here. Join Louis in his call and convince him to keep the whole story away from Jessica or… Tell him the truth and see what happens.

Probably because he is so tired of living in denial-land, probably because he feels so lonely at that point of his life... That and also the fact Louis always insists on becoming his friend, Harvey decides to go for the latter and see how the cards fall.

“Louis”, Harvey says, lifting his chin. “I think you need to sit down.”

Surprisingly enough, Louis obeys, allowing Harvey to take a deep breath.

“Ready to admit you’re an asshole?”, Louis smirks, crossing his arms while staring at Harvey. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“You were right”, Harvey confesses, clearing his throat. “There were feelings and emotions involved, plenty of them actually… except you got it all mixed up.”

“How dare you-”

“Let me finish”, Harvey pleads. “It was the other way around… I was the one… with an unrequited crush. On Gabriel and…”

“Come again?”, Louis chokes. “ _You_ made a pass at him?”

Harvey pauses, looking Louis straight in the eye and God, how good it feels to finally, finally acknowledge the matter.

“Yeah, I did.”

Louis is far too dumbstruck to react, so Harvey decides to continue spilling his guts.

“Now, you can either run to Jessica and tell her about my dirty little secret, or store it away and use it against me some day when you need it”, Harvey breathes, gritting his teeth.

Louis slowly stands up, pushing the chair aside and starts to walk in Harvey’s direction. Harvey scrutinizes his facial expression in an attempt to guess his intentions. Harvey expects disgust or anger because surely, Louis Litt can’t be understanding about bisexuality, let alone a fling between a mentor and his mentee. Moreover, the two of them have a very bad history since the Daniel Hardman debacle, and Harvey knows damn well Louis resents him for being Jessica’s favorite.

As is turns out, Louis takes a totally different path. He comes right into Harvey’s private space, leaning a soothing hand on his shoulder.

“I could also keep everything to myself, support you _when_ or _if_ you decide to come out and beat the shit out of all the idiots that will throw their homophobic crap at you”, Louis murmurs, dead serious.

A lump forms at the back of Harvey’s throat because fuck, he didn’t see that one coming. Not from this man.

“I could also decide you’re fucking brave to admit you’re bi, especially with your reputation as a womanizer, especially in your position at the firm”, Louis continues, pulling Harvey into a warm embrace. Louis is now hugging him with no restraint and it feels really weird and fantastic at the same time.

“Let’s be friends, okay?”, Louis offers, pulling out from the hug and holding his hand out.

“Friends”, Harvey whispers, shaking hands with Louis for the first time in ten years. “Yeah. I think we can make that work.”

 

* * *

 

 

Louis is still shell-shocked after his deep conversation with Harvey. He ponders sneaking into Jessica’s to steal some of her favorite scotch to indulge himself. Theoretically, Jessica doesn’t allow such behavior but Louis decides he deserves a break, even though it’s barely 4 PM.

As he sits in his office a couple of minutes later, shades still down, sipping on the amber liquid, Norma pulls the door open without knocking.

“Edith Ross has been trying to get in touch with you since lunch time”, she says, annoyed.

Louis wonders briefly if Mike has been caught smoking weed in a gay bar by some stupid paparazzi. Those days are theoretically over but still…

“Anything urgent I should know, Mike Ross-wise, fashion Industry-wise ? » Louis sighs, rubbing his face with the palm of his hand.

_God, what a day._

“A bit of both, actually”, Norma grumbles, wearing her usual morose expression.

“Are you sure this can’t wait for at least half an hour ? I’d love to have some time to myself, Norma.”

“I’m afraid that’s not possible”, Norma mutters, dropping two newspapers on her boss’s desk. “Here you go, The New York Times and the Guardian. You can also watch it on CNN tonight.”

“What’s so important-”, Louis starts, puzzled, while his secretary carefully opens the NY times at the marked page.

“The rise of the Phoenix”, Norma reads, pointing at the headline. “Enjoy.”

Louis’s world comes crashing down again, for the second time that day as he begins to read the article. Of course, Louis recognizes _him_ immediately. He looks different, healthier, younger even. Six months in a rehab seem to have done wonders for Jon Gallagher.

Changed man, rehab, no more drugs, _blabla bla bullshit_ , so sorry for the pain he caused to all his beloved ones, _blabla bla some more bullshit about changing his whole perspective on life,_ his overwhelming desire to make a come back in the fashion industry, his decision to create a foundation for teenage drug addicts….

 _Oh dear. This is bad on so many levels,_ Louis thinks, biting his lower lip. The last thing he needs just now is having to deal with Jon’s return to the land of the living.

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always loved Louis on the show. In this verse he is a real cutie. I want to keep him close to canon, though, and show his emotive side. Louis wears his heart on his sleeve and desperatly wants to be friends with Harvey.  
> And now with have Jon, back from rehab.  
> And Jon looks like Dean. He's hot.  
> We'll see how this goes.


	9. Champagne

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis takes the matter in his own hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, Marvey shippers.  
> Yes, I'm back at this one, at last. Sorry for the long hiatus but life isn't always easy on us, writers.  
> For those of you still following this story, enjoy.  
> Of course, since I have to find my pics in different episodes, sometimes there is visual discontinuity...Korsh doesn't shoot the boys the way I want...sighs.

 

 

“Yeah, I know, I know, we must-“ Louis bites his lips, switching the phone from mic to mute because he prefers this conversation to remain between himself and Edith Ross, “I absolutely agree with you, it’s a real issue.”

Edith Ross is very agitated and Louis doesn’t blame her one bit. She is reliving her worst nightmare, even more so considering Jon pretty much is the poster boy for rehab. Edith Ross knows better. Jon Gallagher is a disaster in the making, a nefarious creature with demons from the past lurching in his shadow to grab Mike by the wrist and haul him on the road to perdition.

“Louis,” she says, her voice cracking under pressure. “You have to think of something. There is no way Jon is going to behave around Mike. Hell, I’m surprised he’s not already on a plane to New York, or even worse, on Mike’s doorstep.”

Louis frowns, remembering Jon’s past shenanigans and Mike’s severe addiction to the guy.

“We need to find Mike a new boyfriend,” Edith pursues, obviously on a roll. “An alpha male who can scare Jon away. Such a shame I can’t think of anyone right now…”

_Little do you know Edith, little do you know_ Louis mutters to himself.

“Edith,” Louis says, his voice soothing. “I think I have an idea.”

* * *

 

 

Harvey rushes out of the PSL building, Mike on his heels. It’s a glorious sunny day but alas Harvey has a feeling he needs to cancel his lunch. Something just came up and Jessica needs him earlier than scheduled to settle an urgent matter for a difficult merger and acquisition case.

He doesn’t want to cancel though because he really enjoys Mike’s company. Moreover, he is absolutely delighted with the photos. They are freaking awesome and Mike definitely deserves a long celebratory lunch.

“I thought we were going to grab a steak or something,” Mike whines, plaintive.

“It’s the middle of the day,” Harvey responds, noncommittal.

“Yeah, well, Harvey, that’s when people normally eat lunch,” Mike retorts, sarcastic.

_Fuck the merger acquisition case_ , Harvey thinks to himself before pulling out his cell phone as the chauffeur shows up in the corporate limo.

“Come with me,” Harvey orders gently, gesturing towards the limo. “I’m taking you to one of my favorite places.”

“I thought you couldn’t have lunch with me,” Mike says, eagerly following Harvey to the limo. “Aren’t you supposed to rush to Jessica about-“

“Change of plan,” Harvey replies. “She’ll have to make do without me until 2 pm.”

“Good,” Mike approves, giving his best megawatt smile. “Now that’s good news!”

* * *

 

“This is delicious,” Mike gushes, licking his lips while devouring the steak. “Truly one of the best I’ve ever had and I’ve been to lots of fancy places around the world.”

“Well, this isn’t a fancy place,” Harvey admits, “but it’s my brother’s and the food is pretty damn good.”

Mike drops the fork for a second to scrutinize Harvey.

“So, _Marcus_ runs this restaurant? That’s awesome!” Mike beams “You are so lucky to have a brother, I wish I had siblings too, it must be so much fun to share things and remember stuff and-“

Mike gulps, staring at the napkin with a sad smile and all Harvey wants is to stop the universe right there and bring Mike’s parents back to life.

“I never wanted to use the word, you know,” Mike whispers, making eye contact with Harvey again “It’s such a terrible word… orphan.” 

“I’ve lived in a house surrounded by people,” Harvey exhales, his fingertips brushing Mike’s hand. “But I know how it’s like to feel completely alone.”

Harvey’s hand is now placed on Mike’s and he seems to have no intention of withdrawing it anytime soon.

Mike shivers slightly under Harvey’s touch, craving for more before remembering Harvey is supposedly straight and that all this is a complete waste of his time. He pulls back his hand and rests it next to his plate.

_We would be so good together Harvey, such a shame, really._

“Look,” Harvey insists, his fingers back on Mike’s hand, circling his wrist, possessive yet gentle. “I’m sorry about what happened the other day-“

_And what exactly are you sorry for, Harvey? For kissing me or kicking me out of your condo?_

“Well,” Mike answers, his eyes clouded with a hint of regret. “I, for one, am not sorry at all Harvey, as a matter of fact… you’re a hell of a good kisser.”

“I’m flattered,” Harvey responds, fidgeting on his seat. “Shall we go back to the office ? I’m sure Louis would be pleased to see you.”

_You’re deflecting, Harvey, like you always do when that topic comes up._

As the waiter approaches their table, Mike starts looking for his wallet.

“Lunch is on me,” Harvey smiles, throwing his credit card on the table. “And again, fantastic job with the photos, Mike. I really like them.”

* * *

 

“Well,” Mike says, leaning on Harvey’s office door. “I think my work here is done. Goodbye Harvey. I’ll make sure Donna sends you a copy of the magazine next month before it hits the newstands.”

Harvey is desperately looking for an excuse to keep Mike around, not that there is any popping in his mind, alas. Something deep inside tells him Mike is the right guy, the perfect guy in fact and that he shouldn’t let that moment pass.

Unfortunately, Mike doesn’t have a clue about Harvey’s thoughts, and as he starts heading towards Louis’s office, Harvey decides to follow him.

“What about drinks tomorrow night?” Harvey says, acting on impulse. “I know a nice place where-“

“Harvey,” Mike hisses, stopping dead in his tracks before turning to face Harvey. “I thought we covered that subject already. Besides, we just had lunch, what more is there to say? You and I we’re obviously not on the same page and as I said, I’m not interested in being just your friend. I had a job to do, we met, we had fun, end of story.”

Harvey remains silent, watching Mike leave, again, with his messenger bag on his shoulder.

And suddenly it all seems quite obvious. Pretending he isn’t attracted to Mike is no longer an option.

“There was a thing, once, with a guy,” Harvey blurts out in the middle of the corridor, luckily it’s barely 2 pm and all the senior partners are busy lunching and wooing clients. “A couple of guys, actually.”

Harvey knows the moment he sees Mike storming towards him, a feral glint in his eyes, that he has crossed a line.

“I don’t believe you,” Mike snaps, staring at Harvey with what could only be described as utter and complete disgust.

“Mike,” Harvey pleads. “Listen to me. This just means that you-“

“I don’t care what it means,” Mike cuts in, abruptly. “No one has ever treated me that way. I don’t want to see you ever again.”

Harvey breathes heavily through his nose, he is on the brink of a panic attack, the first one since that awful debacle with Mike at his condo.

“Stop messing with my life,” Mike threatens, pointing a menacing finger at Harvey before all but running away to Louis.

 

* * *

It never ceases to amaze Louis, how young Mike looks with his tousled hair and mischievous grin.

Today, however, Mike isn’t smiling at all.

To be honest, he looks absolutely furious and Louis briefly wonders whether Jon has already resurfaced with his cohort of existential dramas. He promptly hides the newspapers under a stack of client files just in case.

Mike circles around Louis and sits on the desk, his legs hanging in the air like a kid.

“Tssk, tssk, manners,” Louis points out. “Desks are for working purposes, for sitting down we have something called chairs, don’t know if you’ve head of them.”

Mike gives him an eyeroll, still not moving an inch.

“So, what are you doing here?” Louis asks. “We don’t have anything scheduled for today.”

Mike jumps from the desk with his usual nonchalant grace and opens his messenger bag.

“I came to visit Harvey,” he sighs. “To show him my picture selection and we just had lunch.”

“Did you now?” Louis smiles, narrowing his eyes. “Show me the photos.”

Mike promptly displays his work on Louis’s desk.

“These are my favorites”, he says, pointing out a couple of photos. “What do you think?”

Louis finds them stunning. Here is Harvey, captured in his glorious beauty, close ups after close ups.

“Wow,” Louis whistles. “Not bad, kid. Up until now, no one had ever managed to take a good picture of Harvey. He is so… tense in front of the camera.”

“Yeah,” Mike answers, annoyed still. “Guess I’m that good…”

“How was your lunch?” Louis questions. “Did you two have a nice date?”

“Couldn’t be better, he even paid,” Mike snorts, sarcastic.

“I detect sarcasm,” Louis frowns, while staring at the photos. “Did Harvey misbehave?”

“He is driving me crazy, “ Mike growls, putting his head in his hands. “I think I hate him.”

_Here we go_ , Louis thinks. _Now is the time to accomplish my new mission, aka setting Mike up with the alpha man._

He needs to do it correctly though, because Mike looks extremely pissed, and also quickly, because Mike is gathering his photos to leave.

“No, you don’t hate him,” Louis almost whispers. “As a matter of fact you don’t hate him at all. Or has something changed since the last time you asked me to tell you everything I knew about the great Harvey Specter?”

Mike bites his lips so hard it draws blood. He remains completely silent because how can he tell Louis what happened? How can he explain that he kissed Harvey and then got kicked to the curb like a cheap escort. The worst part being Harvey’s hand on his during lunch and this bizarre proposal about drinks tonight. Not to mention Harvey admitting out of the blue that he had been attracted once to a guy, or was it more than once, Mike isn’t sure any more. None of this made any sense at all to Mike.

“Sit down Mike, will you?” Louis orders. “You’re wearing me out. Besides, I have something I’d like to share with you.”

* * *

 

To say that Mike was flabbergasted by Louis’s earlier confession about Harvey’s sexual orientation would be a lie. There were obvious signs, although Harvey kept fighting to hide them. Harvey Specter, the serial womanizer, is bi. And very much so, according to this episode with this Gabriel guy, his former associate.

That explains everything, especially the incoherent ramblings after their first kiss at Harvey’s condo a week ago.

Harvey Specter is bi but also totally in the closet. On top of that, Harvey Specter got his heart crushed by a straight guy.

Mike smiles to himself while handing his bike to his doorman. He simply can’t believe his luck.

Stepping out of his private penthouse elevator, Mike pulls out his cell phone to dial Rachel. He needs Harvey’s cell phone number and he needs it now. Rachel is of course very reluctant about the whole thing but Mike is nothing if not persistent.

_[Drinks tonight still okay?]_

Mike sends his text while divesting himself from his clothes. A long hot shower seems appropriate to clear his head and prepare his evening with Harvey. It’s still early but there is a lot to take care if he wants their first date to go smoothly.

He relaxes in his gigantic shower, taking his time to massage his sore thighs after his bike ride. Although Grams would certainly kill him if she knew he was still biking, Mike enjoys riding his bike from time to time. It reminds him on how he first met Jon in Central Park, ages ago.

Jon was running with a couple of stunning male models and Mike almost bumped into him.

In retrospect, Mike admits he should’ve refused Jon’s invitation to lunch the following day. His career would have been less exciting, for sure, but his heart would have been a lot safer.

In spite of Grams’ and Rachel’s attempts to hide all the newspapers, Mike is well aware that Jon is back from the dead, alive and kicking in London. He saw him on CNN the previous night, looking all dashing and perfect.

It still hurts to see Jon and to know they will never be together. But Mike is pretty sure he has moved on, at last, and that Harvey Specter is definitely his type.

_Grams and Louis will be so pleased_ , Mike thinks to himself, while drying his hair.

He hears a buzz coming from his cell phone while he is getting dressed.

_Here you go, Harvey. Let’s see if I can play with you tonight._

_[Change of heart?]_ Harvey’s text says.

Mike stifles a laugh. So typical for a lawyer to answer a question with another question.

[ _You didn’t answer ma question, Harvey.]_

Mike’s phone remains silent for a while and he senses Harvey is probably freaking out. Again. But he refrains from sending something else, because he has to lead this dance if he ever wants to lay a hand on Harvey in the near future.

_[The answer is yes.]_ Harvey replies, finally.

_I’m so fucking proud of you, Harvey._

_[Ray will pick you up at your place at 7 pm. Wear something nice.]_

_[You do realize I have my own chauffeur, Mike.]_

_[Yeah. But mine is better.]_

_[Can I know where you chauffeur is taking me?]_

_[My place.]_

_[You could have come to mine instead.]_

_[I could’ve. But for what I have in mind, my place is better.]_

_[And what exactly do you have in mind, Mike?]_

_[Same thing as you do.]_

* * *

 

 

Harvey drops his cell phone on his desk, his hands shaking slightly. The way Mike interacts with him, so self-assured, so in charge, is a huge turn on. It’s so fucking hot that Harvey is half hard already. No one has ever toyed with him like Mike does. He just spent an entire meeting with Jessica daydreaming about Mike and feeling sorry for himself because once again he had fucked up to the point of no return. Or so he thought. Because Mike has come back to him, God knows why, and he isn’t going to waste his chance this time. He’s not sure what will happen at Mike’s condo (he doesn’t dare trying to guess what Mike meant in his last text), but he’s sure he wants to kiss Mike senseless and touch him and undress him and…

Yeah. That too.

Thing is, he is totally inexperienced with male sex. Mike, on the other hand, certainly knows everything there is to know on that matter. Harvey just hopes he will not come out as a huge disappointment. Sure, his female one night stands never complain about his performances in bed, but sleeping with a man is whole nother story.

Harvey tries to busy himself with work related stuff but his mind keeps spiraling back to Mike.

Mike and his beautiful eyes, perfect mouth and probably perfect-

No, he doesn’t want to go _there_. At least maybe not on their first evening together. God, he feels like a teenage kid awaiting his first date.

“I think you should go home early, Harvey,” Jessica observes, entering his office with her coat already on. “I’m having some friends over for diner, I need to relax. You seemed a little out of it during our meeting. Anything wrong?”

“Nothing wrong, Jessica,” Harvey promptly retorts. “I’m just exhausted, is all. I was thinking about leaving too, actually.”

* * *

 

Mike’s limo is something else. There is a bottle of Harvey’s favorite champagne perfectly chilled with exquisite crystal flutes.

Ray hands him an envelope with his name on it. There is a card inside with Mike's handwriting.

_I was told Veuve Clicquot is your favorite Champagne. I hope it’s true. Enjoy the ride._

Harvey pulls out his cell phone from his pocket, a dreamy expression on his face.

“Are you trying to woo me?” he chuckles when Mike picks up. “Because I can tell you, it’s working.”

Mike’s laugh is priceless, all exuberant and joyful.

“I guess it is your favorite champagne then.”

“I’d prefer to share it with you, Mike.”

“Hmm. There is plenty more at my place. As a matter of fact, I’m drinking a glass right now. Let’s have a toast, shall we?”

“To us,” Harvey murmurs, his finger caressing the rim of the flute. “I can’t wait to see you, Mike.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it's time to see Mike's condo. I bet it's awesome.


	10. A room with a view

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harvey discovers Mike's condo...and also other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had great fun writing this chapter. I love playing with these boys.  
> Credit to the lovely Rikutaa for her amazing fan art and to Sandro Baebler for this amazing Marvey pic.

 

 

Harvey steps out of Mike’s private elevator and finds himself on the terrace of one of the most luxurious penthouse he’s ever seen.

The whole place is absolutely breathtaking, especially the view, and God knows Harvey is accustomed to exceptional surroundings with his own condo, but this is beyond spectacular.

Mike greets Harvey with another glass of champagne, gesturing towards the gigantic sofa at the other end of the terrace. Harvey is casually dressed in black denim with a black shirt. He looks absolutely stunning and Mike’s throat goes dry.

“Great minds think alike,” Mike observes, clearly admiring. “Men in black. This colour suits you, Harvey.”

“Well, you did _specify_ I should wear something nice,” Harvey responds. “What about you, though? No more white?”

“Ah,” Mike laughs, putting his glass down on the coffee table. “The ebony and ivory thing was our dress code with Jon. I’ve decided to let it go for the time being.”

Mike notices Harvey is very careful not to react to the mention of his previous boyfriend. Harvey, on the contrary, is kind of flattered that Mike has drastically changed his sartorial habits because of him, and walks straight to the railway to take in the view.

“Not bad,” he admits, strolling next to the edge of the railway. “I must say, this is a bit-“

“Overwhelming?” Mike chuckles, following Harvey. “It took me a while to get used to it. I’m still in love with it, even after all those years.”

“Well, I can only say I understand,” Harvey replies, gazing at the view. “I think I’m already falling in love with it too.”

“Let me fetch some appetizers for you,” Mike announces, walking back to the coffee table.

He watches Harvey from afar while carefully selecting a few appetizers on a plate. Harvey now has his back leaning against the railway, eyes closed, head slightly tilted back. Mike notices the rich expanse of his throat, his long neck and oh. _..his hands_. Beautiful hands.  
Orange streaks of sun halo him, all of a sudden, as he opens his eyes and looks straight at Mike. He gives a slow, amazing smile with a slight edge of shyness, and Mike thinks this is possibly one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen.

 

They share a couple of drinks while the sun sets right in front of them.

“It’s getting chilly,” Mike points out after a while, pulling Harvey by the hand. “Shall we go inside?”

* * *

 

Unsurprisingly, Mike’s dining room is also grandiose.

“Is the table always set for twelve?” Harvey frowns. “Even when there is no one but you?”

“Yes,” Mike admits. “I hate bare tables. In fact, it makes me nervous in. Does it bother you?”

“Well, absolutely not,” Harvey jokes, shaking his head, “As long as you guarantee me there is no else coming around tonight, I’m fine with it. I see there’s enough food for twelve however.”

The buffet, thanks to Rachel, is superb. Since Mike had no idea what kind of food Harvey liked, he basically instructed Rachel to order everything available at the fancy catering places she normally goes to.

“Italian delicatessen, smoked salmon, wine and cheese and also deserts,” Mike enumerates, obviously pleased with himself. “I wasn’t sure what would please you, so I ordered just about everything they had.”

“This is amazing,” Harvey says, taking a close look at the wine. “However-“

“Yeah,” Mike breathes, circling Harvey’s waist from behind and nuzzling his neck. “I’m not hungry either.”

“I am,” Harvey retorts, playful. “But not for food.”

“I figured as much,” Mike whispers, his mouth on Harvey’s earlobe. “Bedroom is down the hall.”

* * *

 

 

Mike’s bedroom is very elegant, a dominant of white of course but with shades of grey.  There is a huge inviting super king size bed in the middle with lots of comfy cushions artistically arranged on the bedspread. Everything is brand new since Rachel took it upon herself to redecorate after Mike and Jon broke up.

_You’ll need a new bed, Mike, it’s much better for your morale. You’ll be able to create new memories. I have this wonderful interior decorator I’ve been dying to test on something._

Harvey is the first man to enter Mike’s bedroom since Jon left for rehab six months ago.

“Did you just redecorate?” Harvey questions, quirking his eyebrows. It sure looks that way. “But I thought you’d been living here for years?”

“Well, uh…” Mike pauses, clearly searching for the right words. “Rachel and Grams thought I should change some stuff, after… well after…”

“I see,” Harvey responds with a throaty laugh, cupping Mike’s jaw. “I’ll be more than happy to make you forget all about before. That’s what you want Mike, isn’t it? Forget everything? With some mind bending sex, uh?”

Mike is a little taken aback by Harvey’s confidence, considering how reluctant he was about seeing Mike. But he doesn’t mind it at all.

Harvey slowly starts to unbutton his shirt while tossing his shoes away. He never breaks eye contact with Mike who audibly swallows at the sight.

“Wait,” Mike urges, spinning Harvey around so that he can spread his hands on Harvey’s chest. “Let me undress you.”

“I’m all yours,” Harvey murmurs, tilting his head back to allow better access to Mike’s long and talented fingers. “Yeah… Mmmm you’re good at this…”

Mike’s fingertips roam across Harvey’s smooth suntanned skin. Harvey closes his eyes, obviously enjoying being somewhat manhandled by Mike. His shirt falls to the floor, quickly followed by his pants and boxers.

“Like what you see?” Harvey asks, his eyes still closed.

He then turns to face Mike, totally naked, and it’s like the floor falls trough. Mike can’t help but stare.

Having Harvey on display reminds him of his advanced photography classes when the teacher was teaching them about turning their photos into works of art. Well, he is staring at art right now, and it is hard to avert his eyes from it.

When Mike gets his first glimpse of Harvey’s perfect ass, his jaw almost drops. He has to repress the urge to fetch one of his cameras to take a picture of it. Mike’s gaze lingers on Harvey’s muscular abs and chiselled torso.

“Should we go to the bed?” Harvey asks, slightly nervous all of a sudden.

Mike thinks that Harvey shouldn’t just lie down, he should be bent over and fucked into oblivion, he should be tied up, marked and kept at Mike’s penthouse days and nights for his own exclusive pleasure. But he doesn’t say any of it.  
“Not just yet,” he swallows, hard, before slamming Harvey’s back against the wall. Harvey’s arms come around him and Mike’s tongue is in Harvey’s mouth, his body sliding against Harvey’s, his hands instantly grabbing Harvey’s delectable cock. Harvey moans, opening to the kiss and pressing his erection to Mike’s thigh.  
“Fuck you’re so hot,” Mike breathes, his fingers now in Harvey’s hair, at the nape of his neck, sliding down his chest and back up.  
Mike is so hard he can’t think straight, and when Harvey thrusts his hips, they both groan. The friction _there_ is just perfect.  
Mike is more than ready to go. All sorts of options flash into his mind simultaneously – his shower, the bed, right here against the wall, over the couch… anywhere. But then, he remembers this it is possibly Harvey’s first time with a man and that things should be taken slow. As much as he wishes to ravish Harvey on their first date, he should take his time to learn more about Harvey, to map his beautiful body and discover what makes him crazy with want, what makes him beg and scream and come.

“I’m sorry, Harvey,” Mike whispers. “I’ve been thinking about this since we first met at the studio.”

Harvey is biting his thumbnail, nervous, almost trembling. _Yeah, most probably a virgin._

Mike caresses Harvey’s cheek, pulling back, his mouth on Harvey’s collarbone.

“I’d love to suck you cock,” he murmurs and he’s almost certain he hears Harvey breath a sigh of relief.

Indeed, Harvey is smiling at him, his lashes fluttering, and Mike knows he’s asked for the right thing. He carefully watches Harvey, watches the desire in his eyes, matching his own. He dives in again for a deep hungry kiss.  
“Am I fucking this up?” he asks breathless. “Would you prefer slow and romantic?”  
“Later,” Harvey gasps, his back still pressed to the wall while Mike sinks to his knees.

“God, you are so beautiful,” Mike exhales, his voice soft, as his hands flutter across Harvey’s hips, revelling in the shudder that Harvey releases. At the goose bumps trail that the gesture leaves on Harvey’s skin, Mike senses he is doing things just right.

“Stop teasing me like this,” Harvey moans when Mike reverently rests his forehead on Harvey’s thigh, his stubble tantalizingly scraping Harvey’s skin.

Harvey’s eyes darken as Mike’s tongue darts out and begins to lick up the length of his cock.

Mike sinks down half way, causing Harvey to bite down on his lower lip to stop himself from whimpering.

_Don't make this harder on yourself, Harvey, give in. I want to hear you. God, I want to hear you so much._

Harvey chokes on a groan when Mike hums and pushes himself all the way down, taking Harvey’s cock down to the base.

“Fuck, Mike,” Harvey hisses, tossing his head back.

"You gonna fuck my throat?" Mike says, pulling out to lick up Harvey’s length before engulfing the head into his mouth again. 

"Is that what you want?" Harvey asks, his voice rougher than before.

"Yes please," Mike breathes. “I want you to.”

Harvey angles himself toward Mike’s perfect waiting mouth. He escapes a low moan at the feeling of  _hot_ and  _wet,_ soon joined by  _tight_  as he slowly pushes himself all the way into Mike’s throat, his eyes stinging with tears of intense arousal.

“Such a good boy,” Harvey whispers, placing a hand at the back of Mike’s neck and squeezing reassuringly. “You were made for this weren’t you?”

Mike closes his eyes, instantly flustered and so hard he almost comes undone.

_Fuck, Harvey. How did you know I was into that kind of shit?_

Mike makes a quiet sound of elation as he grips Harvey’s thighs while Harvey starts to fuck his mouth, slow and easy.

It doesn’t take long for Harvey to get to the edge. It’s the first time he’s getting his cock worshipped by a man and it’s a little too much.

“Fuck, Mike. Stop,” Harvey growls, pulling out. “I don’t want to come like this.”

“You can,” Mike says and before he knows it, he’s being lifted off his feet, carried to the bed and tossed on the bedspread. Harvey is now straddling his hips, using his weight to hold him down while holding his wrists.

“I want to fuck you,” Harvey growls again, his pupils blown with lust. “You’re so goddamn beautiful.”

Mike’s heart does a little lurch in his chest just as his cock pulls up hard. He’s never felt anything quite like this, not ever. The combination of Harvey’s obvious inexperience with men and the dominant attitude he is yet displaying is just mind blowing. However, as Mike is strictly a top, what Harvey has in mind is clearly impossible.

“I’m afraid you can’t do that, Harvey,” Mike says, his voice soft and gentle. “I don’t like it that way.”

“You don’t?” Harvey stutters, looking disappointed and he releases his grip on Mike’s wrists before sitting on his heels. “But I thought you and I-“

 

 

Mike can’t help but turn crimson under Harvey’s gaze and then Harvey freezes, his hands still on Mike’s hips.

“God, I’m sorry Mike. Did I hurt you? I shouldn’t have thrown you on the bed like that but it all happened in the spur of the moment-“

_You idiot, beautiful man. You didn’t hurt me at all. I thought it was hot. I’m not a bottom, is all._

“Come here,” Mike murmurs, threading Harvey’s hair. “You’ve never been with a man before, have you?”

“I guess I’m doing everything wrong,” Harvey mumbles, ducking his head and burying himself in the crook of Mike’s neck. “Is it that obvious?”

“No, you’re not,” Mike explains, patient, his fingertips brushing Harvey’s lower back. “But I need to get you through a couple of things about myself before we do anything.“

And then, Harvey remembers Mike’s confession about his sex life, that night, when he barged into his condo in lieu of Rachel.

_“I’m the one doing all the hard work, usually.”_

“Oh, “ Harvey gasps, his hard-on softening immediately. “You want me to… but I can’t, I mean… I never thought-“

“Shh,” Mike cajoles, feeling Harvey’s rapid fire heartbeats under the palm of his hands. “I know. It’s ok. We can, mmh, do _other things_. Nothing is going to happen tonight that you don’t want, you can trust me.”

“Good,” Harvey blinks, visibly relieved, curving his body into Mike’s embrace.

_Oh, all the things I want to do to you Harvey, you have no idea._

“Shower?” Harvey offers, hopeful. “Also, I would like to kiss you again. Multiple times. Until you almost pass out from oxygen deprivation.”

“I have a better idea, you’ll like it,” Mike grins, disentangling himself from Harvey’s grip and pulling him up from the bed.

* * *

 

 

The bathtub is gigantic, all set with two champagne flutes, scented candles and petals of roses on the side. The room smells divine and the whole atmosphere is highly romantic, in contrast with what just happened earlier in the bedroom.

“You have this all planned, haven’t you?” Harvey smirks, testing the water with his toe. Perfect temperature. How did Mike manage that? “I’m more of a shower kind of guy but I have to admit this is tempting.”

Harvey's hands roam on Mike's muscular thighs and Mike shivers under the touch. 

"Let me take care oy you" Harvey offers, stepping into the tub.

The bathtub is of ideal size for two and allows both of them to lie down, facing each other, while still enjoying the magnificent view.

“I could get used to this,” Harvey murmurs, caressing the inside of Mike’s thigh with his foot. “Come here, closer. I want to touch you, all of you.”

Harvey’s fingers circle Mike’s cock with infinite precautions and Mike closes his eyes, resting his head on the edge of the bathtub.

“Yeah,” he breathes. “Yeah. Just… Yeah, that’s it.”

Touching another man’s cock for the first time is also quite something for Harvey. He gets an instant hard on, listening to Mike babbling about _faster_  and _perfect_ and _more_ and _please do that again._

* * *

 

Later, after they both came several times, and the water has turned cold, they rush to the dining room, sated yet ravenous for food. Mike has lent Harvey one of his silk bathrobes and they have a fit of giggles because they are dressed alike and Harvey has never worn a silk bathrobe before. 

“Now I’m starving,” Harvey says, swallowing a mouthful of cheese and grapes. “I think I could eat the whole buffet if you let me.”

“Please, go ahead,” Mike smiles, taking a gulp from his glass of fine white wine, Rachel’s choice of course. “It’s all for us anyway.”

“You should have some of these,” Harvey sighs, eyeing the French pastries with blatant envy, “I can’t eat sugar, alas… I have to follow a strict diet if I want to stay fit, the only pleasure I allow myself is scotch.”

Mike doesn’t eat much. Not because he doesn’t feel like it, but because he’s more a pizza kind of guy and all this fancy food is not really his cup of tea.

Harvey seems to enjoy himself immensely, though, and that’s all that matters to Mike. Mike believes amazing food is part of a nice date. At least that’s what Grams taught him and he tends to agree with her on these matters.

“Let’s go back to bed,” Harvey suggests, nibbling at a strawberry pie because it looks too awesome to discard, diet be damned. “We still have a lot of things to explore, don’t we Mike?”

_Oh yeah._

* * *

_ _

Mike stares at the ceiling, unable to get any sleep whatsoever. Harvey is lying atop of him, warm and pliant in his arms. He stirs in his sleep, mumbling something inintelligible about a case file of some sort.

Mike’s fingers trace circles on the nape of Harvey's neck and Harvey starts to rock his hips on Mike’s thighs.

Mike can’t help but smile. Even in his sleep, Harvey dreams to fuck him and it’s the cutest thing.

* * *

 

As it tuned out, they didn’t do much after diner. They went back to bed of course, Harvey borrowing one of Mike’s tee but they spent the rest of the night talking and kissing with lots of snuggling involved.

Mike had been the one to open the discussion, feeling the need to tell Harvey about his past. It felt good to share things with Harvey about his parents, about Rachel, his soul mate and best friend, and also, last but not least, about Jon.

Harvey, to Mike’s surprise, was a good listener.

Of course, at first, Harvey had been less inclined to indulge in his own past.

After a while, though, he had agreed to disclose some of his family secrets, like his mother’s infidelity which destroyed the Specter home, like his father’s career as a jazz player, like Jessica picking him in the mail room of the law firm and paying his Harvard scholarship.

"Did you fall in love with her ?" Mike had asked, because he had to and Jessica Pearson was such a beautiful woman anyway.

"A little bit", Harvey had amitted, blushing slightly. "I was young and she is a formidable woman, let alone a fantastic lawyer and mentor."

Around 2.30 am, though, Mike had felt the need to break some news to Harvey about his trip to Paris.

"There is something I have to tell you", Mike had confessed while kissing Harvey once more. " Ray is picking me up at 5.30 to drive me to JFK. I’m going to the Paris fashion week for Chanel."

Harvey had made a face at that, visibly tacken aback at the prospect of Mike leaving so soon and for such a long time.

"And before you ask, I don’t want you to get out of my bed", Mike had added, his voice soft and gentle. " You are more than welcome to stay here with me."

* * *

 

Mike stares at the alarm clock, switching it off because he doesn’t want to wake Harvey, not just yet. He carefully slides out of Harvey’s arms to disappear in the kitchen. Thanks to Rachel, who did her homework as usual, he has a perfectly clear idea of Harvey’s breakfast preferences.

Harvey is still sound asleep when he enters the bedroom again.

"What time izit?", Harvey mumbles, waking up in a foggy haze and hiding under the sheets. "And where have you been ?" 

"It’s time for me to leave, alas", Mike murmurs, tossing the pillow on the side to kiss Harvey good morning because he can’t get enough of this man, not this morning and probaby not ever.

" Already ?", Harvey pouts. " Iz early still." 

"Breakfast is right there waiting for you", Mike sing songs, hoping to lighten Harvey's mood. "I’ll leave it on the bench, next to the bed. There is more coffee in the kitchen if you need a refill later."

Harvey blinks, running the palm of his hands on his face.

" C’me here", he rasps, pulling Mike on the bed for a lazy, last kiss. "I’m gonna miss you."

"Uhu, me too", Mike responds, a little breathless. " But two weeks isn’t that long, you’ll see." 

"I’ll have to disagree on that",  Harvey frowns, looking miserable. " I think two weeks is rather a long period of time..."

* * *

 

When Harvey wakes up again an hour later, Mike’s condo is deathly quiet.

He steps out of bed, craving for caffeine.

 

Mike’s breakfast tray is utterly perfect, waiting for him on the bench, just like Mike had said, and Harvey can’t stop himself from smiling.

"I think I love you", Harvey beams, tasting a piece of pancake while considering texting Mike to thank him. It takes him a while to find his cell phone, discarded on the floor next to his pants.

[  _Did you bake these while I was asleep? ]_

 _[ Nah. Yesterday evening before you came to visit ]_  comes Mike’s instant reply.

 _[ I miss you already ]_ Harvey texts, before deleting this sentence.

_Too clingy, Specter._

_[ Miss u ]_  Mike texts again, unaware of Harvey’s second thoughts. [  _Miss your mouth ]_

 _[ Just the mouth?]_  Harvey responds, despite himself.

_[ Haha. No. There are other parts of you I miss too, believe me]_

_[ Call me when you land, ok? ]_   Harvey types, while heading towards Mike’s bathroom for a quick shower before rushing to the office. Thank God Gretchen kept several suits for him in his closet for that kind of occasion.

* * *

 

 

Two days later, Paris is still the same, vibrant and beautiful, with journalists and fashion designers from all over the world, gathered for the Fashion Week. Mike paces back and forth at the arrival of the Eurostar, Gare du Nord. He is waiting for James, his favorite European assistant , traveling from London.

They are a good team, having worked closely for many years now.  Mike can’t wait to start shooting. His business lunch with Karl and his team yesterday had been energetic and full of promises. And Choupette had spent the entire lunch, purring, nestled on Mike’s lap. Louis would be besides himself if he knew. Choupette, Karl’s Burmese white cat, was a famous as Karl himself. There were rumors in the Fashion Industry about the fact that no one could work for Karl if Choupette didn’t approve and Choupette adored Mike.

 In a nutshell, Mike is bubbling with excitement.

Mike doesn’t recognize _him_ immediately, although the cohort of TV cameras should’ve warned him that the person in question is definitely a celeb.

"Hello Mike",  Jon smirks, nonchalant, dropping his bag at Mike’s feet while half a dozen reporters and cameras circle around them.

The unmistakable and _fucking sexy_ british accent, however, Mike recognizes immediately and it takes his breath away.

 "My sweet dear boy",  Jon continues, unfazed. "How are you doing these days?"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Jon is back from rehab. We knew that would happen.  
> Choupette is Karl Lagerfeld's Burmese cat. She is very famous and Karl takes her everywhere with him.


	11. Jon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mike learns Harvey is a jealous guy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Jon isn't going to give up easily on Mike, is he?

 

 

Mike feels a chasm open under his feet as he sees more reporters rushing from every direction to join the crowd.

Jon seems perfectly at ease, like he always is, when surrounded by the media, well except for that time when he insulted a journalist of course.

The reporters are bouncing with energy, shouting _Mike_ and _Jon_ and shoving their mics right in their faces.

"Jon, so glad you're back ! We missed you", one of the reporters chirps. "So, you and Mike, eh?"

"How was rehab?", another one joins in," and why are you in Paris? Is this your come back?"

"So, you and Mike are back together, obviously", a third one adds with a slight trepidation in his voice because that would definitely be the scoop of the week.

Mike instantly opens his mouth to deny that statement but Jon is quicker than him.

"I don’t know", Jon says, playful, draping his right arm over Mike's shoulders. "You’ll have to ask him. Are we back together Mike?"

Mike turns livid as the crowd of reporters burst in applause.

"We-" Mike stutters, contorting himself to try escaping Jon’s embrace, " are n-"

"Mike is here for the Fashion Week", Jon interjects, pulling Mike closer. "I am certain he will make a remarkable contribution to the Chanel Fashion Show tomorrrow afternoon."

Mike finally succeeds to move aside and exhales a sigh of relief. Alas, the moment is short lived because Jon promptly seizes Mike’s right hand and intertwines his fingers with Mike’s.

"See this hand?", Jon enunciates, lifting both their hands in front of the camera. "It's the hand of a genius, an exceptionaly gifted photographer, most certainly the best of his generation."

Mike’s eyes dart from one point to another, desperately trying to avoid Jon’s infuriating smile.

"And I should know", Jon laughs, visibly pleased with himself. "Because I’m the one who made him."

"Yes, yes, yes", the first reporter approves, enthusiastic. "Will the two of you work together again? That would be awesome!"

 _Over my dead body_ , Mike thinks to himself.

"We most certainly will not be working together again any time soon", Mike spits out, finally releasing his hand from Jon’s grip and looking straight into the camera.

"Ah, but you can never say never" , Jon chuckles. "Just to make myself clear I’m here to meet my French publisher to discuss my memoirs."

"Aha", the reporter continues with raptured attention, "will you mention Mike in your memoirs?"

"Absolutely", Jon smiles, rolling his eyes. "Mike played such an important part in my life, didn’t you Mike?", he adds, his eyes roaming on Mike’s slender frame. "Mike was, and still is, I believe, the love of my life."

* * *

 

Mike is still shaken to the core about what happened earlier at Gare du Nord. James tried his best to cheer him up afterwards with a late Parisian breakfast at the Crillon but all Mike wishes to do right now is crawl under the carpet and die.

And also puke.

And cry.

Preferably not in that order, though.

He can’t erase from his memory his conversation with Jon, after the reporters had left.

_Do you need a lift, Mike ? I have a limo waiting for me outside._

_I don’t want anything from you, Jon. And why did you lie in front of the cameras ? I’m doing perfectly well without you._

_ _

_Without me_? Jon had murmured, his lips brushing Mike’s earlobe, a whiff of his cologne short circuiting Mike's brain, _I made you. Without me, you’re nothing._

To top it all, their 9 o’clock impromtu interview is already all over the internet and the news channels on TV.

Hell, it’ll probably make the headlines in the Press tomorrow.

_Fuck._

Mike can’t bring himself to call Harvey. He knows he should though. The reporters have of course cut his last sentence in their editing…and the whole interview looks like two lovers hooking up again with Jon professing his undying love for him to the face of the earth.

It’s now 11.30 am in Paris and Mike is supposed to have his last rehearsal with the Chanel team at the Grand Palais where the show is taking place tomorrow, followed by a defrief with Karl himself at 2 pm.

"I suggest you call the new boyfriend", James says, a soothing hand on Mike’s shoulder, as their chauffeur skillfully drives them through the hectic Parisian traffic. "It’s best if you explain yourself before he sees it on the internet."

"Trust me", Mike scowls, apprehensive, "I have a feeling I won’t stand a chance anyway."

* * *

 

 

Mike is busy checking the prelight and selecting his equipement when his cell starts buzzing.

He didn’t find it in him to call Harvey after all. Two hours ago it was still early in New York and Mike certainly didn’t want to wake Harvey in the middle of the night with that kind of news. Now, at 1.30 Paris time, roughly 7.30 in New York, Harvey is probably showering after his gym session. Maybe he hadn’t opened his lap top yet…maybe he hadn’t switched on his TV or-

Mike’s cell however, seems to be living a life of it’s own, emitting a continuous stream of bip/bip/bip.

_You’re an early bird, Harvey. I should have know._

The first text makes Mike’s stomach spasm.

_[ What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Mike?]_

The incoming ones turn out to be worse and make Mike's heart shatter in gazillions of pieces.

_[ I’ve been waiting for your call since 6 am.]_

_[Call me.]_

_[ Now.]_

There is no way Mike can deal with Harvey’s state of mind right now because he has an important meeting in less than half an hour and business comes first.

 _[I can’t talk to you right now.]_ Mike texts, hoping Harvey will understand, _[ I’ll explain everything later. Whatever you saw on the internet… it’s not what it looks like.]_

Mike still has his finger on the phone screen when Harvey calls him.

"What did you just say to me?" Harvey barks, "also, if this is your defense, I’ll have to advise you to reconsider. This is _exactly_ what it looks like."

"Harvey" Mike begs, "I’m-"

" _The Paris Fashion Week is bursting with rumors about the return of the lengendary Gallagher/Ross_ _couple"_  Harvey reads, his voice ice cold. " _They were seen this morning at Gare du Nord where Mike Ross was waiting for his ex traveling from London."_

"That’s flat out not true", Mike cuts in, crestfallen. "Harvey-"

"Well, Facebook and CNN seem to disagree with you, Mike", Harvey hisses. "Here comes the best part, I’m quoting your _boyfriend_ from memory here, - because I swear if I see it in writing again I will break my laptop and _you_ will be held responsible and I will sue you and believe me, I will win-   _Mike has been and still is, I believe, the love of my life."_

"Harvey, I’m sorry, all right? But I need you to listen to me now !", Mike shouts, dropping his five thousand dollar camera equipement on the floor without batting an eye.

"Listen to you ?!" Harvey bites back, "you know when I would’ve listened to you? This morning at 3 am."

"Jon strong armed me into this-", Mike stutters, in a desperate attempt to stop Harvey’s phenomenal anger.

"I don’t care !", Harvey yells. "Anyone comes at you with any threat at all, you come to me. I don’t give a shit if it’s the King of England. You come to me. You tell me. You tell me everything! That’s what goddamn loyalty is."

Mike’s knees go weak as he slides along the wall, choking back a sob. Loyalty. Harvey’s precious motto. They talked about it the other night, Harvey underlining that loyalty is everything to him, whether it’s between lovers, friends or simply co workers. _Loyalty is a two way street,_ Harvey had pointed out _If I’m asking it from you, then you’re getting it from me._

Harvey must be so hurt, Mike thinks, although technically, he hadn't done anything wrong. It was an ambush of some sort, but alas, Harvey doesn't see it that way. And miles apart, it’s a tricky situation to explain.

"Harvey", Mike pleads, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Can you at least give me a chance to explain myself?"

"No!" Harvey immediately answers with a definitive tone of voice that utterly, utterly, breaks Mike’s heart. "You and I, we’re done."

Despite Mike’s multiple attempts to call back Harvey after he’d hung up on him, Harvey left his cell phone on voice mail.

* * *

 

James promptly hauls Mike to the men’s room to help him refresh himself. There is no way Mike can attend a meeting with Karl Lagerfeld in this state.

Mike splashes water on his face, crying still, but the cold water calms him down.

 

"We need to leave", James says, collecting Mike’s equipement and portfolios. "Your camera didn’t explode my friend, thank God. Let’s take that as a good sign."

_Fuck you, Jon, for ruining my love life, again._

* * *

 

Karl Lagerfeld adored Mike. Mike was lucky because they weren’t many people in the business that passed the test.

Aside Choupette of course, who was the first human being Karl would turn to to decide whether or not the person in front of him was worth a try – and yes, Karl Lagerfeld definitely considered Choupette as a human being- there were lots of prerequisites to meet if one wanted to please the Kaiser.

Punctuality, for a start, creative genuis, then, and above all, an accute sense of aesthetics. Karl Lagerfeld was also extremely demanding, hence his nickname, the Kaiser.

Mike, of course, filled all those criterias and more. The minute Jon introduced Mike Ross to the world, Karl decided he wanted that scrawny kid to shoot his collections. Their first collaboration, back in the days when Mike was a junior photographer in the Chanel pool, had been difficult to say the least.

Mike showed up high, thanks to Jon, and Karl had to send him home and tell him to pull his shit together if he ever wanted to lay a hand on the Chanel business ever again.

Since then, year after year, Karl Lagerfeld and Mike Ross had performed their magic at the Paris Fashion Week. Sometimes, like this year for instance, Mike had a say about the decor. What they had created together for the summer/spring collection was truly grandiose, a replica of the Versailles gardens with waterfalls and white roses.

So, when a disheveled and rather agitated Mike storms into Karl Lagerfeld’s perferct manucured living room at 2.15 pm, the Kaiser immediately senses something is very wrong with his beloved protégé.

Mike talks in cluttered sentences, clenching his fists, babbling something inintelligible and super confused about Jon being a prick -that part Karl understands quite well- but also, seemingly, about a break up of some sort, over the phone, with a boyfriend? Karl quirks his eyebrow, in an attempt to follow Mike’s rambles. It is completely impossible for Mike to have a new boyfriend, he would’ve known about said boyfriend because he is the Kaiser and he knows everything in the fashion world. Mike Ross is single, living like a monk, since Jon dumped him and left for rehab six months ago.

"Stop, mon chéri", Karl cuts in, lifting a hand to interrupt Mike’s endless stream of words."I can’t follow you. If you are referring to this morning at Gare du Nord, I’m already aware, as is the rest of the world, and you have to know it doesn’t bother me one bit. Jon is still Jon, alas, and it’s not your fault, nor mine, if he behaves like an arrogant asshole."

And then, to the dismay of Karl and Choupette both, Mike bursts into tears.

" _Oh la la_ , Mike, mon chéri", Karl sighs, Choupette on his shoulder. "This is about the new boyfriend, isn’t it? He jealous? Because of Jon’s theatrics?"

"Very jealous", Mike confesses, piteously. "I can’t blame him though, when you look at the interview…"

"Ah, l’amour", Karl smiles fondly, putting Choupette down on her favorite blanket, "what’s his name ? Do I know him?"

"His name is Harvey", Mike responds, desolation written all over his face. " He isn’t my boyfriend anymore, I’m afraid."

"Hmm", Karl says, pensive, his fingers caressing Choupette’s head. "How long have you two been together?"

"48 hours, give or take", Mike blurts out. "But I thought…for the first time since Jon...we had something special."

"He’s handsome", Karl admits, looking at Harvey’s photo on Mike’s cell screen. "Who does he work for? I’ve never seen his portfolio before."

"He isn’t in the business, Karl. He is a Managing Partner at the same law firm as Louis. You remember Louis, don’t you?"

"Ah", Karl grunts, grabbing Mike’s cell phone to scroll through Mike’s photos of Harvey. "The famous Monsieur Litt. How could I ever forget him? He was here last year with us at the Fashion Week. We also had quite a few arguments over the phone about contracts and rights last month, as a matter of fact... Hmm…this Harvey of yours, he could be in the business if he gets bored with lawyering. God knows we need clever looking mature male models from time to time and he is photogenic, look at that smile."

Mike bites his lips, remembering last week's shooting. It brings tears to his eyes, again.

"Listen sweetheart", Karl offers, handing Mike a box of tissues. "I gather your Harvey refuses to talk to you, but what if I call Monsieur Litt instead?"

"You would call Louis?" Mike hiccups, running his fingers through his hair. "But what for?"

"Well, to tell him what really happened and to send him some evidence. They’re both lawyers, right? Facts and evidence, that’s what matter to those guys. I have seen Jon’s live interview on French national TV at lunch time. Jon talked about his memoirs and said the two of met by accident this morning. The journalist also aired the extensive version of what took place Gare du Nord and it’s pretty clear when you look at it that you didn’t want to be there in the first place. Besides you said it yourself loud and clear to the camera."

Choupette, sensing Mike’s distress, leaps on his lap, rubbing her pink nose on Mike’s cheek.

"See?" Karl smiles, "Choupette agrees with me. The thing is, with all the live news and social media crap nowadays, most journalists don’t do their job properly. Luckily there are still a few pros left, like this very nice anchor woman on TF1. I know her pretty well, actually. So, I’ll call Monsieur Litt and I’m pretty sure he’ll convince your Harvey guy that this whole thing with Jon was a misunderstanding."

Mike considers the offer for two seconds before jumping on his feet, dropping Choupette in the process. She emits a disappointed meow before hiding under the table.

"That is, of course", Karl continues, sipping his Diet Coke, "if your Harvey doesn’t mind Monsieur Litt being aware of his _liaison_ with you. You never know with those matters."

"Fair point", Mike agrees, "but it’s ok because Louis knows about us. In fact, he was the one who convinced me to go after Harvey in the first place. I didn’t know Harvey was into men. And Harvey outed himself to Louis…so I guess everything is fine on that front."

"You’ll have to be careful, though, Mike", Karl says, narrowing his eyes. "Your Harvey…he is older than you. That’s the reason he’s so jealous. He is insecure, you see."

"I hadn’t thought of that", Mike admits, ducking his head and fiddling with the strip of his camera. "I guess I’ll need to be extra careful with Harvey in the future, if he ever forgives me, that is."

* * *

 

 

 

There are mornings like this where Gretchen would give anything to work somewhere else. First of all, Harvey Specter is a difficult man to cope with on a daily basis. His mood swings and crazy outbursts are legendary at PSL. Second of all, only Jessica can control him when things get really out of hand.

Like this morning for instance.

But Jessica is alas in court for the whole day and this, obviously, can’t wait for her to return.

Gtrechen had known, the minute she saw Harvey barrelling towards her desk at 8.30 sharp with clenched jaws, that the morning would be tough.

Now, two hours later, with two associates already on the verge of a nervous breakdown in their cubicles and a third one running to the mens room in tears, she simply doesn't know what to do.

Harvey is pacing around his desk like a maniac, constantly yelling over the phone and maltreating his laptop.

Gretchen sighs, crestfallen, as Harvey suddenly throws case files all over the place. This kind of behavior happens from time to time but in most cases it’s because of obnoxious clients. Today, however, clients have nothing to do with Harvey’s foul mood.

All this drama is due to Mike Ross, so it seems. The kid called ten times already, frantic, and begging her to put Harvey on the line.

She did, at first, and boy did she regret it.

Harvey had come out of his office, nostrils flaring, his irises dark as charcoal with anger.

"I want you to block his calls", he had lashed out, "I don’t want to talk to Mike Ross ever again."

Gretchen scratches her head, pensive. Is all of this because Harvey is unhappy with last week’s shooting at Mike’s studio ? Gretchen doubts that because Norma already told her the pictures are awesome. So then what ?

Harvey and Mike had hit it off so well the other day, shooting the hoops in Harvey’s office, giggling like teenagers. Even Jessica had been thrilled about it.

When Harold comes out of Harvey’s office, clutching shreds of his latest brief in his hands, Gretchen decides to do what she normally does under those kind of circumstances. She rushes to Norma for advice.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Karl Lagerfeld is a genius. The Chanel défilé is always the highlight of the Paris season.  
> Choupette is very famous and she will inherit part of Karl's fortune if Karl passes away before her.  
> Karl Lagerfeld speaks perfect English, French, Italian, Spanish and German.  
> His nickname is indeeed the Kaiser.  
> He is 83 years old, although he looks younger.  
> He drinks exclusively Diet Coke and is a health nut.  
> It is of course rather unlikely that Mike could have a say on the décor of the défilé since Karl creates and supervises the décor himself. However, for the prupose of this story, I wanted Mike to be involved in it because it's fun.  
> Mike is the official Chanel photographer, meaning he will shoot the models for all of Chanel's catalogues and ads.  
> There will be, however, hundreds of fashion journalists at the défilé and they will of course takes pictures of the models on the runway.  
> I adore fashion, and Chanel of course, because I'm a French girl living in Paris.
> 
> "Mon chéri" means "My darling" or "Sweetheart"  
> I don't think I need to translate "Ah, l'amour" and "Oh la la " .....  
> TF1 is an imprtant TV channel in France, where most celebs would give their first interview.  
> Et voilà, as we say in Paris.


	12. Paris will always be Paris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Love is in the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Harveylous for her wonderful art.

 

 

Louis strides to his office, whistling happily. His early morning appointment with his shrink has gone superbly well. His new friendship with Harvey has been psychoanalyzed on every possible level and Dr Lipschik is awfully proud of him.

His breakfast meeting with Logan Sanders, right after his session with Dr Lipschik, turned out to be a walk in the park, despite the fact Logan still hates him and keeps threatening to leave PSL for another law firm. Jessica will be proud of him too.

All in all, a bright sunny morning.

Louis wonders briefly why Norma and Gretchen both are standing in his office waiting for him. There are about six incoming calls from Mike Ross in his cell, Louis suspects it’s to gush about the Fashion Week and _Karl_ and also, of course, about his new love story with Harvey.

Louis smiles to himself because setting up these two was his idea in the first place and it had proven successful beyond all hope.

He’ll have plenty of time to listen to Mike’s gossips about he Fashion week later in the day, after his 11 am meeting with a new client he’d just won over Zane and Partners two days earlier.

Norma, however, seems to have other plans because she promptly shuts the door behind Louis as he sits behind his desk. Louis's laptop is already open, Norma has logged herself in, like she always does when Louis is out of the office, to check his mails.

"We have a situation", Norma enunciates, eerily calm, Gtrechen standing like a statue at her side. "A Mike Ross and Harvey Specter situation", she adds, gesturing towards Louis’s laptop.

"A Mike Ross and Harvey Specter situation?", Louis frowns, flabbergasted. "But they’ve only-"

"Been dating for 48 hours, I know", Norma continues, unfazed. "Gretchen is aware of our love birds by the way, I just filled her in", she elaborates, sensing Louis’s uneasiness about Harvey’s private life being put in the open like that.

"What’s going on?" Louis asks, nervous all of a sudden. "Did Mike-"

"I suggest you scroll the news feed", Gretchen pipes up. "It’s fascinating."

Louis quickly googles _Mike Ross_ on his keyboard and winces as tons of stuff show up.

_Romance in Paris, Ross/Gallagher a new beginning, Jon Gallagher declares Mike Ross is still the love of his life._

Louis clicks on the first Press article where he sees Mike and Jon holding hands, Jon looking at Mike, enamored, Jon smiling to the camera…

"Fuck", Louis mutters. "How is Harvey?"

"Well, last time I saw him he was busy destroying case files and yelling at Harold", Gretchen deadpans.

"I see", Louis mumbles, a terrible sense of _déjà vu_  givng him heartburn. "I'll talk to Harvey right now."

Norma’s phone starts ringing the moment Louis walks out of his office to see Harvey.

She rushes to pick it up and freezes.

"Louis", she says, breatless, running after her boss in the corridor. "I’ve got Karl Lagerfeld on the line for you."

* * *

 

"I’ve just sent you an email", Louis entones, barging into Harvey’s office five minutes later. "I want you to take a look at it, now."

Harvey is standing, fully erect, his back to Louis, staring at the window. "Go fuck yourself, Louis. With all due respect, of course."

"I need you to trust me on this one", Louis insists, perusing over Harvey’s mail box and clicking on the You Tube link he just sent Harvey.

"Get your hands off my mail box", Harvey growls, furious, as Jon’s interview on French National TV starts playing on his laptop. "And why the fuck should I watch that piece of crap ? I’m already aware-"

" No, you're not, Harvey. That's the thing", Louis cuts in. "See for yourself. I'll translate-"

"You speak French now, Louis?", Harvey snorts, sarcastic. 

Jon’s live interview on set, which is in French since Jon speaks perfect French, is peppered with video footage shot at Gare du Nord. The footage is in English, allowing Harvey to discover what he hadn’t seen on the internet earlier this morning.  
Mike obviously looks very uncomfortable and tries to speak up to contradict his ex. At the end of the last sequence, Mike clearly expresses he does not intend to rework with Jon in any way. It is also very clear that Jon took Mike’s hand without Mike’s permission.

"What do you think, councelor?", Louis questions, after one minute of deafening silence. "I think the jury should go for reasonable doubt at least."

"Not guilty, your Honor", Harvey murmurs, devastated. "I didn’t even give him the slightest chance to explain himself. How did you get your hands on this, Louis?"

"I have my ways", Louis answers, evasive. 

The pain in Harvey’s chest makes his heart clench. He just made a fool of himself because of his goddamn trust issues. He’s probably ruined the best thing that ever happened to him in the blink of an eye. Harvey cringes, remembering his harsh tone over the phone while Mike was in tears.

"Louis, I don’t know what to do", Harvey admits, somberly.

"Uhm, what about the famous - _when you backed against the wall, break the goddamn thing down ?-_  Louis quotes, pointing a menacing finger at Harvey.

Harvey stares at Louis, perplexed, his eye widening. "What about it?"

"I say you get that gorgeous ass of yours on a plane to Paris, tonight. And you apologize profusely when you arrive at destination."

Harvey’s throat constricts at the prospect of being rejected after a seven hour flight. He is also terrified to feel totally out of place in Mike’s world. He doesn’t know anything about the Fashion Industry. That part is more Louis’s cup of tea since he’s been looking after Mike’s interests for more than five years.

"You think it’s a good idea?", Harevy asks, clearly anxious.

"If you don’t mind walking straight from the closet to the Parisian limelights, I think it’s a great idea, the kind of grand romantic gesture Mike is gonna love actually", Louis gushes, standing up to leave. "And don’t forget to pack a tux for the cocktails. They throw some wonderful parties during the Fashion Week. You’ll probably meet Naomi and Linda and Claudia, Naomi is still gorgeous, for her age by the way. Do you know her nickname is the _Black Panther?"_

The more Harvey listens to Louis rambling about the Fashion Week, the more he just wants to curl up and die.

Louis is already heading out of Harvey’s office when Harvey says something in hushed tones that makes Louis stop dead in his tracks.

"Louis, would you come with me? To Paris?"

* * *

 

 

Spring in Paris is definitely Louis’s favorite season. After a long winter, the Parisians come out of their torpor and immediately start flirting again. The women are beautiful and parade in their new dresses on the terraces of the cafés.

"Ah, Paris", Louis beams, ecstatic, as the waiter displays the typical Parisian breakfast on their table, _croissant, baguette and expresso._ "You should try this _baguette_ with butter. It’s delicious."

"Not hungry", Harvey grunts. "I’m never hungry after a night flight, even though I have to say the Business Class on Air France isn’t too bad."

"You’re such a snob, Harvey", Louis teases , while enjoying a mouthful of _croissant._

* * *

 

Pierre, Karl Lagerfeld’s PA is waiting for them at the VIP entrance of the Grand Palais where a crowd of celebs and fashion journalists is already streaming in. The show is due to start in 45 minutes.

"Monsieur Lagerfeld will join you in a couple of minutes in his private dressing room. He is backstage bringing the final touch to all the collections."

Harvey and Louis follow Pierre inside the maze of the Grand Palais. Harvey takes in the frenzied agitation of the Chanel staff, the grandiose decor and the plethora of gorgeous models, some of them ultra famous.

They are left in Karl’s dressing room where Choupette stares at them with raptured attention. The door of the dressing room is left ajar by Pierre - _It’s because of Choupette, she needs to hear that Monsieur Lagerfeld is nearby_ \- he explains.

"Isn’t she a beauty", Louis murmurs. "Just look at her, she is so photogenic."

"Louis", Harvey sighs, rolling his eyes. "It’s just a cat."

Harvey bites his lip, thinking hard about how he is going to apologize to Mike. Mike doesn’t know he has jumped on a plane to come to him. Harvey hopes Mike will be pleased, at least Louis seems to think it’s a good idea, but now, a couple of minutes ahead of their romantic reunion, Harvey is extremely nervous.

"You have to close Karl Lagerfeld before you close Mike", Louis blurts out, kneeling down to caress Choupette.

Harvey wonders how Louis can be so perceptive.

"How did you know I was thinking about Mike ", Harvey snorts, all bravado.

"Who else would it be?", Louis smirks, handing his scarf to Harvey. "Here, wear this."

"Why would I wear your scarf?", Harvey grumbles, reluctant. "It’s not that cold in here."

"It’s not a scarf", Louis croaks, indignantly. "It’s one of the world’s finest pashminas. And you’ll thank me later."

They soon hear Karl Lagerfeld’s footsteps and unmistakable German accent as he comes close to them.

"Kate, va te faire remaquiller s’il te plaît, et j’ai besoin d’une couturière pour faire un point sur la veste d’Emilie."

"Monsieur Litt, what a surprise", he says, entering his dressing room to meet Louis and Harvey. "Vous avez fait bon voyage? Choupette, ma chérie, viens me voir."

Choupette immediately jumps into Karl’s arms and begins to purr with delight.

"Louis, I’ve kept a good seat for you. Right behind the front row. You’ll be with your friend Naomi. But remember, no selfies this time, ok? Pierre? Can you escort Monsieur Litt?"

"And you must be Mike’s Harvey", Karl mutters, turning to face Harvey as Louis leaves with Pierre, bouncing like an overexcited puppy.

"Harvey Specter", Harvey swallows, nervous. "Please to meet you", he adds, his hand outstretched.

Karl Lagerfeld stares at Harvey intently before walking right into Harvey’s private space.

He takes Harvey’s hand with a firm grip, Choupette still nesteld in his arms.

Choupette freezes, scenting Louis’s scarf and begins to meow and gesticulate in the arms of her master. She literally squeals with glee as she leaps on Harvey's chest, wrapping herself around his neck and rubbing against Louis’s scarf.

"Chouptte seems to like you", Karl smiles. "I guess you are to be trusted then. Come with me."

* * *

 

 

Mike looks exhausted. There is a whole wall of polaroids behind him, Harvey guesses it must be his preparatory work for the shooting.

Mike has not changed yet and he is wearing a white tee shirt that hasn't been ironed.

He crosses his arms over his chest and looks at Harvey, defiant yet beautiful.

The corners of his mouth are turned down and there is a crease on his forehead, between his eyebrows, that was not there two days before. Harvey just wants to erase it with his fingertips and kiss Mike’s pain away.

Harvey collects his thoughts and opens his mouth to give his perfectly put together speech about how sorry he is. He has thought about this moment long and hard in the plane. Harvey wants it to be prefect, as in movies, when the offender apologizes to his lover and they fall into each other's arms with romantic music playing in the background.

Instead, Mike gets an inintelligible gurgle that sounds a lot more like  _I'msorryit’smyfaultIshould’vetrustedyouI’manidiotpleaseforgivemeIwoulddoanything._

Mike remains silent for a few seconds and Harvey seriously considers bolting through the door.

“Come again”, Mike finally responds, “I’m not sure I understood what you just said, Harvey.”

_Mike, you little shit_ , Harvey thinks to himself. 

“I said” Harvey repeats, clearing his throat, “ I said I’m sorry. I should’ve trusted you, I’m an idiot..”

 “Go on” Mike says, lifting his hands in the air. “I’m still not hundred percent sure-“

“Please forgive me” Harvey pleads, his voice wavering, “ I would do anything…”

  _Anything? We’ll see about that, Harvey._

"Are you done?" Mike deadpans. "Because I need to change."

Harvey stares at Mike with an expression that’s between panicked and downright petrified.

"I need to get something off my chest", Harvey stutters. "Maybe it’s too late, but-"

"Is it your shirt?" Mike asks, mischievous. "Please tell me it’s your shirt."

"I love you", Harvey blurts out. "I think I always have, since the first day we met. I was too much of a coward to admit it at the time, but here it is. And I understand if the feeling isn’t mutual. It’s ok. I’ll just drive back to the airport and-"

Mike makes a move then, swift and precise, landing his finger on Harvey's lips.

"Shh" he says, "We'll talk about that later. For now, I really need to get out of here and start doing the job I’m getting paid for."

 

* * *

 

 

Karl Lagerfeld smiles fondly at Harvey when Harvey takes his seat two minutes later. Harvey wipes his clammy hands on his pants, remembering what just happened in Mike’s dressing room. He is sitting in the front row, right next to the backstage rooms where the models come out to perform their catwalk on the runway.

The show is superb, Chanel at it’s best and the celebs cheer and applause each time a model appears on the runway.  
Mike looks hyper focused on his job, shooting all the models one by one as they begin their appearance on the podium. 

The show is due to last about 35 minutes, the highlight being, of course, the famous wedding dress which is presented at the end.

Harvey holds his breath when he sees Karl Lagerfeld materializing himself on the runway aside the beautiful bride. This year’s wedding dress is a masterpice, the crown jewel of the collection because Karl Lagerfeld has designed something unique.

A wedding dress for pregnant women.

The celebs and fashion journalists all go wild as the music plays louder for the finale. The models and dressmakers join Karl Lagerfeld and the bride on the runway.

Harvey is lost in his thoughts when he suddenly feels someone pulling him up from his seat.

"Come up here with me", Mike says, his hand on Harvey’s wrist. "I want you by my side for this."

"Mike, I can’t-", Harvey blushes, terrified. "I can’t go up there."

  
Totally insensitive to his boyfriend's protests, Mike seizes Harvey's hand forcefully and pulls him onto the runway.

In the days and months and years to come, Harvey will not remember exactly what happened in the Grand Palais when he stood next to Mike, Mike's firm grip on his hand grounding him and making him feel whole for the first time since he left home at the age of eighteen.

The only thing he will recall, aside the ceaseless crackling of the flashlights, will be Mike's dazzling smile and the words _I love you_ Mike mouthed to him, as they began walking hand in hand on the runway.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is nearly the end, my friends, for this part at least.  
> I will post the epilogue next week.  
> 30 k, I'm proud of myself because this fic was supposed to be a ficlet for Suitsaddict and it turned out into a monster.  
> I had great fun to play with our boys in this verse and I hope my readers enjoyed it too.  
> I have plenty more stories in that verse for the future, at least 10k I would think, judging by what I have on my drive already.  
> So, there could be time stamps in this AU. I'd love to know if my readers would like to see more of that verse or not before I dive into some of my other works.
> 
> Hugs to you my Marvey shippers around the world.
> 
> Karl's sentences in French:  
> " Did you have a nice trip? Choupette, my darling, come to me"  
> " Kate, please go back to makeup and I need a dressmaker to fix Emilie's jacket"  
> Louis's quote about his pashmina is from canon. I love Louis.  
> Ah, and also the idea of Louis taking selfies with famous top models....Lol.


	13. Epilogue 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A picture is worth a thousand words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I'm the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris, and I enjoyed it."  
> JFK. Paris. 1961.

 

 

"Do I look ok?" Mike asks, for the fifth time, fidgeting on the seat of the limo.

They are en route for the Chanel cocktail party at the Ritz after a very busy afternoon. The show has been a huge success, Karl giving interviews after interviews, especially about his wedding dress. Mike also had his hands quite full with the Press while Harvey hastily retreated to hide in his hotel room with Louis.

The last thing Harvey wanted after his romantic reunion with Mike on the runway was to face a cohort of fashion journalists.

The Press, however, was thrilled at this new love story and kept wandering outside Harvey’s hotel for the best part of the afternoon, hoping for an interview with Mike’s new boyfriend.

The reporters had just left to cover the numerous cocktail parties which were taking place in Paris this evening.

Mike is high on adrenalin, restless and euphoric. Harvey fervently wishes he could fuck him senseless in the limo to calm him down before the cocktail party. What is the purpose of luxuriating in high standard limos with tinted windows if not for the hot sex ?

Alas, given Mike’s preferences when it came to sex, fucking was not on the menu, at least not for now.

"You look positively delicious", Harvey whispers, leaning in for a last kiss before their arrival at the venue. "Let me just fix this", he adds, his fingertips on Mike’s bowtie.

"There. That’s better. Wouldn’t want to send you outside with a crooked bowtie, would we?"

* * *

 

 

The cocktail party is already in full swing when they make an entrance. Harvey grabs a glass of champagne to keep his hands busy. He tries to relax which proves difficult since he barely knows anyone, aside Karl, Choupette and Louis.

Unlike Louis, who looks perfectly at ease at the cocktail party, Harvey feels extremely uncomfortable. Louis seems to be having the time of his life. He is already discussing with Naomi and Linda and taking tons of selfies. No doubt he will use them when returning to New York to make everyone jealous, including Jessica.

Mike is perfectly aware of Harvey’s distress, even though he hides it well.

"It's okay, you'll see, they're nice people when you get to know them. Come on, let me introduce you to everyone" , Mike says, reassuringly, while putting his hand on Harvey's lower back.

"This is Harvey, my boyfriend", Mike announces, proudly, to a group of models who gathered near the buffet. "Harvey, I want you to meet Emile, Ana and Estelle, my favorite Chanel models.”

"Nice to meet you. I'm the man who accompanied Mike Ross to Paris and I enjoyed it", Harvey pursues, dead serious, which immediately triggers general hilarity.

“Are you picturing me as Jackie?” Mike teases, rolling his eyes.

“You could pull that off”, Harvey murmurs. "You have soft features."

"What do you do in real life, Harvey?", Ana asks, a glass of champagne in her hand. "You're not in the business, are you? "

"Heavens, no", Harvey laughs. "I am a lawyer. I work in New York."

"So, you and Mike." She searches for her words, tilting her head to the side. "How long have you two been together? "

"Three days", Harvey snaps out. "But I feel like I’ve already aged 10 years."

"It's always like that with Mike", she laughs. "He lives in the fast lane. One day in Paris, the next in London ... and then Milan, New York ... he's always on the move. "

"Mike! So good to see you again! It was amazing this morning. Are you happy? Hey, did you see that?"  Estelle takes Mike aside to show him something in her cell phone. "It's your picture with Harvey ... you're soo cute, both of you. My friend at Vogue told me they're considering using it for the cover.”

 _Shit_ , Mike thinks. When he took Harvey by the hand on the runway this morning, he didn’t really think about the consequences. He doesn’t mind being on the cover of Vogue, wouldn’t be the first time anyway, but what about Harvey? Mike bites his lip, worried suddenly. He has to inform Louis about this little problem. Louis will know what to do. He always does.

And what about Jessica? Harvey's boss? She might be furious. Mike starts to look around for Louis, running his hands through his hair.

"Harvey? Can I leave you for a sec? I need to talk to Louis."

Harvey is now in the middle of a deep conversation with Ana and Emilie on the comparative merits of Paris and New York. The girls agree that nothing beats New York to party but that Paris is much better for the quality of life.

"And for the children too", Ana adds. "Paris for children is better. When I have children, I will come to live here. Do you want children, Harvey? You know that Mike loves kids. He always told me he wanted at least three."

 _That’s breaking news,_ Harvey thinks to himself upon learning that interesting piece of information.

"Hmm", he says cautiously, "I haven’t had a chance to discuss this with Mike, yet."

Out of the corner of his eye, Harvey spots Mike coming down the stairs in his direction after a brief exchange with Louis.

"Don't mind me", Harvey snorts, tongue in cheek, "My date just got here."

* * *

 

"We might have a problem", Louis admits, scratching his head. "I need to talk to Jessica about your little….hmm, your romantic gathering in Paris in front of the Press this morning."

"I’m sorry, Harvey", Mike murmurs, apprehensive. "I didn’t think ahead-"

Mike is sitting in Harvey’s hotel’s room, his bowtie undone. They had to flee from the cocktail party in separate cars to avoid the Press. So far, they had managed to get clear.

Harvey sighs, reading a text message from Jessica.

"Louis? Did you get this _thing_ from Jessica ?", Harvey says, staring at his mobile.

The _thing_ in question is the famous picture of Harvey and Mike hand in hand at the Chanel show.

_[ Donna just sent me this via one of her friends from Vogue. Please tell me it’s photoshopped ]_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, Mike is impulsive. Just like in canon.  
> We'll see how Jessica will react.


	14. Epilogue 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens a week later.

 

_A week later._

 

As it turned out, it wasn’t just the _Vogue_ front cover. There was also a full article in _GQ_ and a shorter one in _Harpers Bazaar_ , not to mention the _Elle_ French edition.

And to top it all, a long article in _Out Magazine_ in which the journalist expressed his intense enthousiasm on a possible future wedding between _our boy Mike and his sexy new boyfriend, Harvey Specter, top notch attorney at PSL. It is of course interesting to notice the future couple chose to disclose their new love in Paris, at the finale of the Chanel show, marching together hand in hand behind the bride, the subliminal message being sent loud and clear. Will Karl Lagerfeld design their wedding suits? We're dying to find out._

A week later, Jessica is still furious.

She had to deal with a few homophobic clients, one of them flat out refusing to continue his collaboration with the firm. She also took her share of reprimand from the other partners on Harvey’s romantic escapade. Some even openly criticized Harvey’s recent promotion to Name Partner.

Jessica still can’t decide what to do about Harvey. She constantly oscillates between her desire to fire him or to keep him at the firm by her side. They have been working together hand in hand for so long ...

She's so preoccupied she broke one of her cardinal rules last night.

She discussed work related matters with Jeff Malone which is something she swore she would never do.

* * *

 

 

" You have to make a decision, you can’t keep avoiding Harvey any longer," Jeff had told Jessica while preparing the most delicious aperitif she had ever seen. "It's very unhealthy and it creates a crappy atmosphere in the office."

"I can’t believe he never told me about this….I thought I knew him…and yet he is holding hands with Mike Ross on the front cover of Vogue… "

"Does it bother you? Because I have to say it doesn’t bother me one bit," Jeff had pursued, handing Jessica a plate of homemade bruschetta. "Plus, it’s obviously not that simple. Harvey isn’t gay. That’s not how these things work. You don’t suddenly turn out gay at forty. Harvey is bi which is far more complex. He has a track record as a womanizer. I bet Mike is his first."

"Harvey is definitely attracted to women,"  Jessica had sighed, nibbling at a piece of delicious Bellotta Bellotta ham - how did Jeff manage to find the time to buy her favorite appetizers with his working hours?

"You slept with him, didn’t you?" Jeff had chuckled, quirking his eyebrows. "Please don’t deny it. Everyone says so."

"Just once and it was a long time ago," Jessica had murmured, setting her plate aside.

"Should I be jealous?" Jeff had asked, pulling Jessica in a long, hot kiss. "Dude is handsome."

 Jessica had laughed at that. "Of course not, you idiot."

 

* * *

 

A throat clearing sound pulls Jessica out of her thoughts. Harvey is standing in front of her desk. He seems determined to fight yet strangely calm.

“Harvey, I don’t remember asking for a meeting with you."

"I can resign if it makes things easier on you", Harvey offers, unapologetically. "You obviously seem to have a hard time firing me, so I’m willing to give you a hand."

"What makes you think I'm having a hard time firing you, Harvey?” Jessica hisses. “The day you both flew back from Paris, Louis came to see me. I told him I was going to kick you out as soon as you set foot in your office.”

"And?” Harvey responds, nonchalant, "I'm still here am I not?”

"Because Louis told me that if you left, he would leave with you. _He goes I go. I’m not staying without Harvey_ , he said."

Harvey stares at Jessica in slack jawed amazement.

"Look who suddenly has nothing to say, huh," Jessica huffs, annoyed still.

"Jessica, I’m sorry my private life got a little messy lately-“

“That's the understatement of the century," Jessica bites back. “You have no idea.....  all the shit I’m going through because of your little fling.”

“I would lie to you if I said I regret what I did because I don’t regret anything," Harvey snaps, looking Jessica straight in the eye. “And if you ask me to choose between my job and Mike Ross, I will choose Mike. Always.”

Jessica remembers too well the day she chose the job rather than Jeff Malone. It's a decision she bitterly regretted afterwards. Fortunately, everything ended well with Jeff but she almost lost him all the same.

“Besides," Harvey groans, still staring at her with clenched jaws, “I was pretty cool when you started banging Jeff Malone."

"It was different," Jessica replies, ice cold.

"Really? He was your subordinate, still is by the way. It’s against Company Policy.”

“Oh, don’t get me started on Company Policy, Harvey. You’re the one with your pretty face on the cover of Vogue."

“You think I’m pretty?" Harvey smirks, cocksure as ever.

“Pretty stupid, yeah."

* * *

 

Harvey waits for the other shoe to drop. Jessica still hasn’t fired him, which is strange, considering the situation. She is still pissed, Harvey can tell, but there is something else. She is scrutinizing him with a pensive expression, like she is going to test him or something.

When it comes, it’s not what Harvey expected at all.

“Harvey, did you have an affair with Gabriel Mitchell?”

For a brief moment, Harvey wonders if Louis has spilled the beans. Probably not, considering the highly confidential nature of their exchange about Gabriel.

But then again, you could never be sure with Louis. Harvey has no way of telling if Jessica is aware of what happened that night between him and his ex associate.

However, as he knows Jessica like the back of his hand, Harvey is almost certain she is seeking for the truth. 

That might be the test, just checking he still has enough balls to tell her exactly what happened.

Harvey is almost certain, but not hundred precent sure. The experienced lawyer in him tells him to deflect and to answer her question with another question, just like in court.

His heart, though, urges him to take another direction. 

"Jessica" Harvey whispers, his hands shaking slightly, "I think I need a drink for this. If you don't mind, of course."

He clenches his eyes shut, because no way in hell is he going to loose it in Jessica's office.

He hears the rustle of a cloth and the tinkling of a glass. Jessica has visibly moved to her drinking cabinet to serve herself a whisky. He feels a glass being pushed into the palm of his hand and grabs it blindly.

"Let's sit down" Jessica says, "I have a feeling it's a long story."

"Jessica" Harvey starts, breathing through his nose to tamper down the panic wave that is about to engulf him "I-"

"It's ok, Harvey" Jessica murmurs, her voice softer. "We're family, remember?"

Harvey tells her everything. He tells her about his crush on Cameron Dennis, about his desperation as a young ADA when he understood his mentor was a devious asshole. He tells her about a lonely life of one night stands, devoid of love, let alone of happiness.  He tells her about Scottie, about the fact he thought she was the one until she decided her career was more important and flew off to London, leaving him broken and desolate. He tells her about Gabriel, about Gabriel's crazy beautiful heart and wonderful mind. He tells her he fell in love with him, head over heels, an unrequited love that ended, that night, after he made a pass at him. 

He tells her about Mike Ross, who stormed into his life a few weeks ago and stole his heart again, this time hopefully forever. He tells her he almost lost Mike because of his insecurities. He tells her he is going to fight for this new love because he feels alive again, for the first time in ages. 

He tells her so many things that he looses track of time. He can't remember disclosing his inner demons in the open like this since he talked to his father about his mother's infidelity, ages ago.

He stops for a refill, the third one at least, he isn't sure anymore because he didn't count. It's good stuff, probably a Mac Callan 18, the last cigarette of the death row guy. 

“So, you lied to everyone, including myself, to protect Gabriel's future and you didn't think ahead when you decided to walk hand in hand with Mike Ross in front of a crowd of reporters?" Jessica concludes, after Harvey gulped his third glass of whisky.

“Yes" Harvey answers, holding his grounds. “Jessica, that’s who I am. I am sorry if-“

“Don’t be sorry for protecting the ones you love, Harvey. That’s one of the reasons I hired you in the first place, even though it leads to chaos sometimes. I regret you didn’t trust me enough at the time to tell me the truth about Cameron Dennis and about your feelings for Gabriel Mitchell. As for Mike Ross..."

“What do you want me to do, Jessica? Should I pack my things and leave?” Harvey swallows, his throat constricting at the thought. “ I have a few important meetings tomorrow but I can leave right now if you prefer," he mumbles, his voice wavering again.

_Fuck. You cannot freak out at the end of your termination interview, Specter. Later perhaps, at home, when you'll be totally wasted. But certainly not in front of her. You owe her that, at least._

"C'me here" Jessica orders, sitting on her windowsill. "I'm keeping you. I have two conditions though."

As they both sit side by side, it reminds Harvey of that night, in her old office, when they had too much to drink. That night when he kissed her, young and carefree.

That night when they both ended in her bed and decided to never mention it again. Things were much simpler then, just him and Jessica against the world.

Harvey thinks whatever conditions Jessica lays on the negotiation table, he's gonna say yes anyway.

"I want you to hire the kid back."

"What?" Harvey croaks, his voice hoarse from holding back his tears.

"You heard me right the first time," Jessica insists. "Louis says the kid is unhappy at Sidwell's. We might as well put this brilliant mind of his to use."

"What about the next condition?" Harvey asks, still suspicious.

"Please make it a Parisian ceremony. The wedding, I mean. Jeff's been dying to take me on a romantic trip to Paris for ages. We could kill two birds with one stone."

Harvey is overwhelmed with a deep sense of relief. "So, you and I, we're good?" he murmurs, pulling Jessica into a tight embrace.

 

 "We're more than good" she says, wrapping her hands on Harvey's shoulders. "You should go home to rest. And eat something because you've had quite a few drinks already."

"Yes, Maam" Harvey chuckles, still holding her. "He hasn't proposed, yet, you know, Mike. But if...yeah. Paris would be nice."

 

* * *

 

 

Harvey is walking on cloud nine as he enters Louis’s office. Louis is busy drafting a contract, scribbling notes on every page and checking some legal jargon on his laptop.

"I wanted to thank you," Harvey says, sitting down on one of Louis’s chairs.

"For what?"

"For _He goes I go_. I wouldn’t be here anymore if-"

"It’s nothing", Louis mutters, waving a dismissive hand. "You would’ve done the same."

_I’m not sure about that, Louis. I’m not sure I’m as brave as you are._

"Did..hm…did you tell Jessica about me and Gabe?", Harvey asks, looking at his shoes.

"Of course not!" Louis shrieks, dropping his file. "What? Do you think I’m crazy?"

* * *

Harvey loves to drive this car. He rarely does, but for a night like this, well, nothing is good enough for Mike.

Rachel informed Harvey Mike is leaving the studio at approximately 7.30. She also said she would make sure he would be on time, even if she had to kick him out of the studio herself. Harvey took a quick shower to sobber up, three whisky was a little too much, even for him. 

 _Jessica figured everything out,_ Harvey thinks to himself, waiting for Mike to come out of the studio.

And so what ? Yes, he has a type. He likes young fair haired guys with clear eyes. There is nothing wrong with that, is it?

 "Harvey" Mike beams, visibly happy to see his boyfriend, "what are you doing here?"

"I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible" Harvey enunciates, obviously pleased with himself.

" _When Harry met Sally_ , seriously, Harvey? That's your pick up line?"

"C'me here" Harvey answers, opening the door of the car. Mike hesitates before sitting in the passenger's seat. 

"You know I only have Ray as my driver," he protests in hushed tones. "I never-"

"Mike" Harvey cajoles, his thumb on Mike's lower lip, "you'll have to trust me on this. I'm an excellent driver. I own five sports car and I plan to drive you around every weekend. I would've picked the convertible for you tonight but it's still a bit chilly for that."

"Do I get a say on this program of yours?" Mike breathes, anxious. "And where are you taking me?"

"No to the first question" Harvey grins, starting the engine, "as for the second, we're going to my place."

"Why not mine?" Mike objects, frowning.

"Because, for what I have in mind," Harvey winks, "my place is better."

* * *

 

Harvey orders two giant size pizzas with cheese in the crust. They eat the first one, straight from the box, on Harvey's coffee table without any cutlery.

They come back to the second one, hours later, on the kitchen island.

At one point, in between two slices of cold pizza, Harvey proposes.

Harvey purchases the engagement rings the next day.

 

 

The end.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that's a wrap Marvey friends.  
> I hope you enjoyed this verse and you had fun reading our boys's adventures .  
> We will leave Harvey and Mike to their domestic bliss for the moment.  
> They are engaged.  
> Are they going to get married?  
> Are they going to live happily ever after?  
> Well, they still have a few issues to solve....some of them being quite complex.  
> What happens in the bedroom is obviously an issue.  
> But there is also Mike's past and Harvey's past.....lots of stuff can collide with their relationship.  
> As I said in the previous chapters, I have a few time stamps up my sleeve.  
> Tell me if you're interested.  
> If not, that's ok because I have three WIPs I'm working on right now.  
> Hugs to you all.


End file.
